NEW YORK (AP) — Caleb Williams introduced sizzle, pleasure and star energy again to Southern California soccer.
And now the Heisman Trophy, too.
Williams, the dynamic quarterback who was the catalyst for the Trojans’ turnaround season, received the Heisman on Saturday evening to make USC the primary college to take residence school soccer’s most prestigious participant of the yr award eight occasions.
Williams acquired 544 first-place votes and a pair of,031 factors to simply outpoint TCU quarterback Max Duggan (1,420).
Williams is the fourth switch to win the Heisman within the final six years, becoming a member of Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018) of Oklahoma and Joe Burrow (2019) of LSU.
Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud was third within the voting after coming in fourth final season. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett completed fourth. The top-ranked Bulldogs will face Stroud and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes within the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31.
Duggan and the third-ranked Horned Frogs will play No. 2 Michigan within the different CFP semifinal on New Year’s Eve.
“I may be standing up here today, but y’all get to the College Football Playoffs. Guess you can’t win’em all,” Williams stated as he began his acceptance speech by thanking the opposite finalists.
Before taking maintain of his huge bronze trophy, Williams hugged Mike Garrett, USC’s first Heisman winner in 1965, one in all 23 earlier winners to attend the ceremony close to Lincoln Center.
“Dreams really do come true. Thank you, and fight on,” Williams stated on the finish of his 10-minute speech.
Williams and No. 8 USC fell wanting the Pac-12 championship and a spot within the playoff, nevertheless it was nonetheless a rebirth for a university soccer blue blood that has had solely quick spurts of success over the past decade.
The final time USC had a Heisman winner was 2005, when working again Reggie Bush was the second of consecutive Trojans gamers to win the award. Matt Leinart received the Heisman in 2004 on the way in which to a nationwide championship.
Bush’s Heisman win, the Trojans’ seventh, was later vacated for NCAA violations that started the descent of USC.
Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma every have seven Heisman victories.
The Trojans hope a revival is underway, led by Lincoln Riley, who coached Oklahoma’s final two Heisman winners, and Williams, who adopted the quarterback whisperer from Norman to Los Angeles.
With Riley and Williams orchestrating one of many nation’s most prolific offenses, USC went from 4-8 final to 11-2 and a Cotton Bowl bid this yr.
Williams is the epitome of the fashionable school soccer star. As a five-star recruit from Washington, Williams has been a star since highschool.
At the age of 10, Williams and his father, Carl, began planning a path to greatness. The to-do record included successful a Heisman.
“It’s something you dream of as a kid when you’re in high school, and then when you get to college it’s just a goal you might throw on the wall before the season,” Williams stated the day earlier than checking off that purpose.
As a freshman at Oklahoma final yr, Williams grabbed maintain of the beginning job, coming off the bench to rally the Sooners previous rival Texas and instantly changing into one of many school soccer’s most enjoyable gamers.
He transferred to USC within the offseason to play for Riley and amassed an intensive and profitable endorsement portfolio earlier than ever enjoying a sport for the Trojans.
Thanks to one in all his NIL offers, Williams was capable of deliver eight of his offensive lineman with him to the Heisman ceremony in New York.
When the video games did begin, Williams delivered on the promise and potential.
He handed for 4.075 yards, 37 touchdowns and simply 4 interceptions, setting a USC file for whole offense with 4.447 yards. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore additionally ran for 10 touchdowns, drawing comparisons to Chiefs’ star Patrick Mahomes for his means to improvise and ship excellent passes from quite a lot of arm angles.
Williams completed with a kick, accounting for seven touchdowns in Top-25 victories towards UCLA and Notre Dame that put USC in playoff place.
The Trojans couldn’t shut the deal, dropping the Pac-12 title sport to Utah with Williams hobbling by a lot of the sport with a strained hamstring. Still, he threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns to present USC an opportunity, and solidified his standing as Heisman frontrunner.
Williams is the nineteenth quarterback to win the Heisman since 2000, the third from USC and the third to do it after transferring to play for Riley.
Mayfield and Murray took comparable paths beneath Riley when he was at Oklahoma. Riley left the Sooners after final season to take the USC job, leaping from one storied program to a different.
Riley joins Notre Dame’s Frank Leahy (4), Alabama’s Nick Saban (4), Army’s Red Blaik (three) and Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (three) to educate a minimum of three Heisman winners.
Williams is the sixth sophomore, and second straight, to win the Heisman. Alabama’s Bryce Young received the Heisman in his second season final yr, and completed sixth within the voting this yr, behind Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Williams will grow to be the newest participant with an opportunity to hitch Ohio State’s Archie Griffin (1974-75) as a two-time Heisman winner.
But first, it’s time to seek out some area at USC’s Heritage Hall. Williams has made Southern California Heisman U. once more.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and pay attention at http://www.appodcasts.com
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