USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is the frontrunner for the 2023 Heisman Trophy and has the first pick of the draft all but locked up for 2024. After playing one season at Oklahoma and two at USC, he will be eligible to head to the NFL after this year. However, Williams’ father Carl told GQ Magazine that the quarterback could return to school for a fourth year in 2024 if he doesn’t like the NFL team with the first overall pick.
Whether this is Williams’ father’s opinion or coming straight from the quarterback himself is unclear. The elder Williams told GQ, “The funky thing about the NFL draft process is, he’d almost be better off not being drafted than being drafted first. The system is completely backwards. The way the system is constructed, you go to the worst possible situation. The worst possible team, the worst organization in the league — because of their desire for parity — gets the first pick.”
The quarterback himself spoke about the “weirdness” of the uncertainty of the draft, of not being able to select the team one joins. Williams wouldn’t need to declare for the draft until January 2024, which would give him an idea of teams that could end up with the first pick. However, if he wants to join the league, it’s going to be the same scenario in 2025 — the NFL draft format isn’t going anywhere in the next 365 days. Williams can return to school for one more year, but after that, it’s unclear what is plan will be if he isn’t happy with the team selecting first overall.