Lincoln Riley, the head coach of the USC Trojans, made appearances on Good Morning Football and the Pat McAfee Show today.
He was questioned extensively on the likelihood of Caleb Williams being selected first overall in the NFL Draft, but naturally, the majority of the talk focused on his wish to be selected first and his ability to play for the Chicago Bears.
Watch the exchange by going here:
Coach, I want to clarify that this has been going on with Caleb Williams since December. There have been tidings from his camp or his father regarding the possibility that Caleb doesn’t want to travel to Chicago or that he wants to force his way elsewhere in matters of that kind. Is it something you have experience with, or are you simply a total b******t of clubs that aim to ruin his reputation because they might be a little higher on the draft board—something we all know is going to happen over the course of the next two months leading up to the draft? We recently witnessed it with CJ Stroud, and we all know how it ended out for him. However, is that onlyfinish the BS And do you believe that this is intentional as well, or has the story around Caleb been so distorted that people aren’t really sure who he is?”
Indeed. Seems to me like a complete smoke cover. Since I know Caleb, I don’t think he gives a damn where he plays; I mean, I think it’s just people playing the game. There are benefits wherever you go, and from where he is, all of these franchises are located in excellent cities.
“Winning is what he wants.” He wants to be a player in this game who is prepared to come up this way, and in my opinion, it’s more important for him to get into the right situation where he can continue to grow and fulfil his obligations to a franchise in order to contribute to its success than it is to be in a particular location. And he has a single-minded approach in that regard. That’s it. Therefore, I don’t believe that to be true. Not at all. The man is motivated to succeed. He is an opponent. Of course, I know he would prefer to go first in general. It’s all about his winning at the end of the day, just like any competitor would, I suppose.
Long-term expectations have been this, and most recently, “Caleb’s Camp” assured Colin Cowherd that he would have no trouble joining the Chicago Bears. However, this is additional comfort from his previous head coach, who has been a part of his life for the previous three years.
It is now in the hands of the Chicago Bears. Will they proceed with Justin Fields as their franchise quarterback and trade out of the first overall pick? Or are they going to follow Caleb Williams?
We will have lots more coverage of Williams and all the events surrounding his draft stock at the NFL Combine in a few weeks. The next two months are going to be exciting. As with Bo Callahan in the classic Kevin Costner movie Draft Day, NFL teams will be looking for any evidence of Caleb Williams’ past.
You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.
If this network offers any solace, though, Ryan Pace should be able to rest easy knowing that he shouldn’t overthink this. Invest in Caleb Williams to revitalise your team.
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