Caleb Williams's Reported Transfer Timetable Offers Little Clarity

Williams's decision will be based on which place best prepares him for the NFL and prepares him to be the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams has a general timetable to operate on as he continues to weigh his options on where he will start the next chapter of his college football career, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. 

Williams entered the transfer portal on Jan. 3 after playing in 11 games as a true freshman for the Sooners in the 2021 season, throwing for 1,916 passing yards and 27 total touchdowns. Williams's goal is to join a program that will best prepare him for the NFL. 

Thamel reported that Caleb's decision on where he plays next could come by the end of this week, within the next two weeks ... or within the next two months.

“Carl [Williams] said we’ve got to do it [Caleb's decision] now in two weeks. So, it could be as soon as the end of this week, but there’s also schools on the quarter system where they could wait until March,” Thamel said of Caleb's family. “They want to see how NFL hires that could trickle down to college shake out, because they really want NFL training for Caleb Williams to best prepare him for pro football.

The NFL, not NIL is the guiding light of what the family is doing. They want to go to the place that best prepares him for the professional ranks and best prepares him to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.”

Williams has visited UCLA and USC, the home of former Sooners coach Lincoln Riley. USC is on a semester-based schedule while UCLA is on the quarter system. However, per Thamel, Williams has been on Zoom calls with at least a dozen other schools.

Williams replaced former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler against Texas in October, leading the Sooners to a comeback victory against the Longhorns. He also threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns in an Alamo Bowl victory over Oregon on Dec. 29.