Caleb Williams Narrows Field to Maryland, LSU and Oklahoma
The "big news" that Caleb Williams promised last week has dropped.
In his latest "All on the Line" journal via SI All-American, Williams cut his list of schools down to three, eliminating Clemson and Penn State from consideration. LSU, Maryland and Oklahoma are the programs still in the running for Williams' commitment.
"I really feel like those schools are the best schools for me overall, not just for football," Williams wrote. "I really feel like those schools can provide me the best opportunity academically and with my football career with the connections I've built with the coaches, the fans and the connection my parents and everybody has built with the coaches. The feel with all of those places, it just feels right."
It's by no means a shocking development, as each school was a predictable choice to make the 5-star quarterback's final three. Nevertheless, the news makes official what many had already expected.
"I really feel like those three can help propel me to the next level and help propel my game to the next level," Williams wrote.
As a native of Washington, D.C., Williams can effectively claim Maryland as his hometown school, which appears to be the only reason the Terrapins haven't been knocked off the list yet. They're coming off a 3-9 campaign under a first-year head coach in Mike Locksley. Williams has reiterated his desire to play for national championships on a yearly basis, and that's simply not going to happen in College Park. It seems a longer-than-long shot that Williams ends up in a Maryland uniform.
That leaves LSU and Oklahoma, two schools brimming with dynastic potential. The Tigers are coming off arguably the greatest season in college football history: they went 15-0, produced a Heisman Trophy winner in Joe Burrow, and saw 14 players selected in the NFL Draft.
The Sooners, meanwhile, are fresh off three consecutive fruitless trips to the College Football Playoff, and were annihilated at the hands of Burrow and the unstoppable Tigers offense in the Peach Bowl. Nevertheless, Williams has built a strong bond with Lincoln Riley, and credits the Sooners' head coach with refining his skills as a quarterback via film study. Should Williams matriculate in Norman and submit himself to the tutelage of an offensive savant in Riley, Oklahoma could vault to the pinnacle of the college football landscape.
One way or another, Williams' commitment could be one of the most impactful in the history of collegiate recruiting. Wherever he goes, expect a myriad of fellow 2021 prospects to follow. Williams has been fervently pursuing relationships with many of his peers in the class, in an apparent effort to build an all-star ensemble cast at his college of choice. He's referenced several of those individuals by name, including Latrell McCutchin, Clayton Smith, Kelvin Gilliam, Maason Smith, Mario Williams and others.
It's easy to look at Williams' tape and see why he's so coveted. He's highly athletic and creative, can throw accurately off-balance, excels at making defenders miss in the open field, and possesses fantastic arm talent. However, his potential to catalyze a monstrous 2021 recruiting class is one heck of a bonus. If Williams can get even three or four elite prospects to follow in his footsteps, the possibilities are tantalizing.
One ancillary factor for Sooner fans to monitor is the recruitment of Marcus High School (TX) quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, a four-star 2021 recruit with an offer from LSU outstanding. Nussmeier was originally scheduled to commit on April 18, but postponed his decision due to what he called "unforeseen circumstances." The consensus expectation is that he'll commit to LSU, and in that scenario, Ed Orgeron and company may ease or even halt their pursuit of Williams.
Williams has stated that he'd like to commit before his senior prep season begins, so Sooner Nation should know whether or not he's headed to Norman within the next three months. In the interim, it's a tense and high-stakes waiting game.
And as if there wasn't drama enough already, Williams left off his journal with a cliff-hanger after naming his final three:
"More fireworks to come."
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