Caleb Williams Eschews Recruitment Talk to Speak Out on Protests

Williams uses platform on SI's 'All on the Line' to air his thoughts on last week's events

It's been a tempestuous week across the country, and Caleb Williams wasn't about to brush past the events that have captured the nation's attention.

On Monday, Williams understandably chose not to focus on his recruitment in his weekly SI All-American blog series, instead speaking out on the death of George Floyd and the nationwide fallout thereafter.

"With George Floyd, his family and those who were connected to him, as well as the others that were injured or harmed by this whole situation, I feel sorry for them and their families," Williams expressed. "I really do wish the best for them."

As a young African-American, Williams resonates deeply with Floyd's situation. He's also fully aware of the inherent dangers that he himself faces.

"I could have been George Floyd," he continued. "If you really think about it. Being a black, African-American, 18-year-old kid. It's kind of crazy to think that I could be in that situation in this day and age. I could have been George Floyd, in the street with a white male on my neck while I'm begging for air. Kind of surreal. Kind of crazy."

Protests have been especially rampant in Williams' hometown of Washington, D.C. All he has to do is look out the window to see the public outrage that Floyd's death has sparked.

"I just saw and heard about at least three police cars going down the street," he wrote. "I'm not far from the Capitol, the White House, where the protests are going down. I was kind of expecting things like that. But it's kind of crazy, especially being in D.C., one of the cities that are one of the most active."

Williams, who comes from a family of ministers, says he felt burdened to use his platform to share his perspective.

"I wanted to hop on here and use my name to speak out on this," Williams said. "All of the people that follow me. I hope you read this and hear this. My family has been bringing people together for years, decades. I want to keep that going and keep bringing people together in these tough times with the pandemic and with what we have with George Floyd."

Williams' father, Carl, said that he simply hopes his son will be safe wherever he chooses to play college football, calling it "a huge factor in the decision-making process."

It's the second straight week that Williams hasn't provided any updates on his recruitment. The 5-star quarterback intends to commit to Oklahoma, LSU, or Maryland, but hasn't set a date for his decision.

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