Quarterback Caleb Williams transfers to USC from Oklahoma

All the victory sign emojis and obsessive Twitter refreshing has led to this.

After weeks of anticipation, arguably the most consequential move in USC’s recent roster attrition puzzle came on Tuesday, when former five-star recruit and 2022 Heisman candidate Caleb Williams announced his transfer to USC. Williams will reportedly be eligible for spring ball despite the official announcement coming after Friday’s enrollment deadline.

After wrangling Oklahoma’s starting quarterback job early on from Spencer Rattler — the preseason Heisman favorite — Williams finished the year with 1,912 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions on a 64.5% completion percentage. He also added 442 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns.

Williams earned true freshman All-American honors from ESPN, 247Sports, On3 and Pro Football Focus, was one of 15 semifinalists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and earned AP All-Big 12 Second Team honors. He was ranked the No. 1 player in the transfer portal by 247Sports, and in mid-December, USA Today listed him as one of 10 leading candidates to win the 2022 Heisman Award. (Notably, one of the potential hindrances listed for his Heisman pursuit was an uncertain Oklahoma offense without Riley as well as a potential lack of weapons around him, given the bevy of departures from Oklahoma following the coach’s own.)

Those issues now appear alleviated, especially because one of Williams’ 2021 weapons he won’t have to part with is former four-star recruit Mario Williams. Mario transferred from Oklahoma Jan. 15 after hauling in 35 receptions for 380 yards and four touchdowns in his freshman year with the Sooners. The No. 4 receiver in the Class of 2021 was named a true freshman All-American by ESPN and earned the No. 8 spot in 247Sports’ transfer portal ranking.

The two Williamses — unrelated to each other — coming to USC in tandem should hardly come as a surprise. Caleb entered the transfer portal on Jan. 3, and Mario followed in his footsteps the very next day. The latter had told On3 that “I don’t know what [Caleb] is going to do yet, but I want him to be my QB,” and the two reportedly took their official visits to USC in early January.

USC’s transfer portal class was ranked No. 2 in the country — tops in the Pac-12 — even prior to Caleb Williams’ announcement, and the Trojans have now reclaimed the top spot. USC had already added cornerback Mekhi Blackmon and receiver Brenden Rice from Colorado, cornerback Latrell McCutchin from Oklahoma, running back Austin Jones from Stanford, running back Travis Dye from Oregon, linebacker Romello Height from Auburn and linebacker Shane Lee from Alabama — among others.

Caleb Williams’ transfer had been highly anticipated ever since rising sophomore Jaxson Dart entered the transfer portal Jan. 10, immediately becoming the No. 3 player in the portal thanks to a promising college debut of his own. The four-star prospect and No. 10 quarterback in the Class of 2021, who committed to Ole Miss on Saturday, threw for 1,353 yards across six games with a 61.9% completion percentage, nine touchdowns and five interceptions while also adding a threat with his legs.

Dart compiled those statistics all while battling a torn meniscus that appeared to somewhat linger late into the season, losing his top receiving threat (Drake London) in his second game and receiving inconsistent reps in a dual-quarterback system when he and since-transferred Kedon Slovis were both healthy.

The numbers themselves may not jump off the page, but especially given the circumstances, Dart showed flashes in 2021 that had USC fans — and now, Rebels fans — bullish on his future.

Dart may validate that promise, but it won’t happen at USC. Williams will open the preseason as the widely assumed starter for the Trojans, with sophomore Miller Moss — four-star recruit and the No. 12 quarterback in his 2021 class — in the backup role. Of course, Moss could certainly decide to enter the portal as well and seek a starting opportunity elsewhere.

But whether or not he remains, one thing is certain: USC’s 2022 puzzle has gotten a whole lot more promising in the past several weeks — most recently thanks to one of the most highly coveted transfers in recent memory.