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, gained the Heisman on Saturday evening to make USC the primary college to take house faculty soccer’s most prestigious participant of the yr award eight instances.
Williams obtained 544 first-place votes and a couple of,031 factors to simply outpoint TCU quarterback Max Duggan (1,420).
Williams is the fourth switch to win the Heisman prior to now 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 highest-ranked Bulldogs will face Stroud and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes within the School Soccer Playoff on Dec. 31.
Duggan and the third-ranked Horned Frogs will play No. 2 Michigan within the different CFP semifinal on New 12 months’s Eve.
“I could also be standing up right here right now, however y’all get to the School Soccer Playoffs. Guess you may’t win’em all,” Williams mentioned as he began his acceptance speech by thanking the opposite finalists.
Earlier than taking maintain of his massive 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 Heart.
“Goals actually do come true. Thanks, and battle on,” Williams mentioned on the finish of his 10-minute speech.
Williams and No. 8 USC fell in need of the Pac-12 championship and a spot within the playoff, but it surely was nonetheless a rebirth for a school soccer blue blood that has had solely quick spurts of success over the previous decade.
The final time USC had a Heisman winner was 2005, when operating again Reggie Bush was the second of consecutive Trojans gamers to win the award. Matt Leinart gained 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 yr to 11-2 and a Cotton Bowl bid this season.
Williams is the epitome of the trendy faculty soccer star. As a five-star recruit from Washington, Williams has been a star since highschool.
On 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 one thing you dream of as a child whenever you’re in highschool, after which whenever you get to varsity it’s only a objective you would possibly throw on the wall earlier than the season,” Williams mentioned the day earlier than checking off that objective.
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