USC Football: How Caleb Williams Feels About Breaking Caitlin Clark’s Merch Sales Record

The new Chicago Bear gets honest.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago is already embracing the arrival of former USC Trojans quarterback after the Chicago Bears officially drafted Williams first overall on Thursday. Once the Bears selected Williams, fans immediately began ordering merchandise of Williams.

On the night he was drafted, Williams broke the prior Fanatics record for the most draft night merchandise sales of any pick, across any sport. The record had just been set the week before by Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, via ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Chicago’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams broke the Fanatics record for draft night merchandise sales for any draft pick in any sport, beating the previous record set last week by Caitlin Clark.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2024

Williams credited the Chicago fans for breaking the record, saying, "That's Chicago for ya," via NBC Sports Chicago.

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“All the love and support is strong. I’ve heard about it, so to get some of that love and support that early is really awesome, really exciting," Williams added.

For a football team that has not had a true franchise quarterback since at least Jim McMahon and possibly the entirety of the Super Bowl era, drafting Williams is a beacon of hope. Only time will tell if Williams will live up to the billing of the number one quarterback is this quarterback-heavy class, but it is a good sign that he was the consensus number one passer and pick in this class.

The other good sign for Williams, the Bears, and Bears fans is that Williams has been put in a position to succeed. While many first overall picks are immediately heading to teams with a lot of issues on the roster, the Bears have some good players around Williams. This begins with the loaded wide receiver room, with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and fellow Bears first-round pick Rome Odunze. Williams is already surrounded by weapons, which will hopefully ease his transition into the NFL.

All in all, it's not surprising to see Bears fans rush out to get jerseys of the player who could very well change the fortunes of this franchise. If Williams succeeds in the NFL, this support will only continue to follow him in Chicago.

More USC: Caleb Williams’ Bears Merch Already Flying Off Shelves