Coach Reveals Exact Moment He Knew Caleb Williams Was Not Normal

Caleb Williams built his entire career out of making special plays. It is why he won a Heisman trophy and why he ultimately became the #1 overall pick. Everybody has their favorites. Maybe it was the two-point conversion against Arizona for a win in triple overtime. There was the backshoulder bomb to Marvin Mims in the 4th quarter against Texas as a freshman. Also, there was picking up a bobbled snap and launching it 76 yards for a touchdown against San Jose State—just some absurd moments.

However, USC coaches see things somewhat differently. Sure, the big plays are fun, but it’s often the smaller ones that help illustrate how special Williams can be. Passing game coordinator Dennis Simmons gave a perfect example to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune.

There have been a lot of times that he’s done some stuff where you’re like, “OK, wow.” There was a time he was scrambling when we played Oregon last year, and he threw a pass but it was almost like a hook shot. It was either him running out of bounds or him finding the back and getting the ball to the back. The back kind of slid inside of him and behind the defender, and he kind of lobbed it over his head. It was like, “OK, that’s not normal.”

The play in question took place in the 1st quarter. Williams took a shotgun snap on a roll out to his right. After surveying, he realized nobody was open. After a long scramble drill, it looked like he would be forced out of bounds. That was when Williams pulled a Brett Favre.

Caleb Williams is a master of such plays.

They take great reflexes, quick thinking, and a willingness to take risks. Most quarterbacks would never dream of doing something like that. They’d throw the ball away or get knocked out of bounds. Williams had the presence of mind to know his guy would pop open once the defender came off to go after him. The only issue was getting the throw off. Rather than try contorting his body to make it work, he opted for a little hook shot. The distance was close enough to where the odds of a completion were still reasonable.

All of that took place in a matter of seconds. People talk about processing speed being essential for a quarterback. They don’t know about the different types of processing speed. Yes, doing it from the pocket is the most important. However, the field scanning isn’t limited to that. Finding the open man or knowing where he’ll be is just as vital outside the pocket. Caleb Williams is already a master at that. He will be an outstanding quarterback if he can bring the two together in the NFL.