- Caleb Williams wins the 2022 Heisman Trophy to cap off an impressive sophomore season.
- Williams’ Heisman odds went as high as +1000 during the season but closed at -2500 before the betting lines closed.
- The 20-year-old is the first Heisman Trophy winner from USC since 2005.
One year and two months ago, Caleb Williams was a freshman backup at Oklahoma playing in the Red Rivalry game against Texas looking to give the Sooners a boost.
Now he is the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner.
Williams completed an incredibly successful sophomore season after transferring to USC after last season. The 2nd year signal caller threw for 4,075 yards with 37 passing touchdowns while rushing for 10 more scores while leading the Trojans to an 11-2 regular season record.
He opened at +600 odds to win the award and saw his odds fade to as long as +1000 in October at the BetOnline App. But after USC outlasted UCLA 48-45 to earn a ticket to the Pac-12 title game Williams ascended to the top of the Heisman Trophy odds boards, moving from +1100 to -110 after accounting for 503 yards of total offense and three touchdowns during the victory.
Ready for His Date in NYC
Caleb Williams is ready for his date in NYC đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/c8woXCUenE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 27, 2022
The sophomore completed 32 of 43 passes for 470 yards with two passing TDs and one INT. It was the second-best passing performance by a USC quarterback in the 92 editions of the Crosstown Showdown. Williams also rushed for 33 yards and accounted for one rush touchdown.
One week after beating UCLA, USC went on to defeat no. 15 Notre Dame 38-27 to cap an outstanding regular season where they won 11 games for the first time since 2008. In that game, Williams showcased the full package and finished with 232 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns.
USC became the first team to gain 400 yards and score more than 32 points against Notre Dame this season. The sophomore, who followed head coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma to USC, iced the game with 2:35 left by sprinting 16 yards through the heat of the Irish defense to score his school-record 44th touchdown of the season.
After that game, Williams’ Heisman odds rose to -2000 with Max Duggan shooting up to +1000 and Stetson Bennett moving to +1400. CJ Stroud, who was the +110 favorite before USC beat UCLA, faded to +5000 on November 28th.
From there, Williams closed at -2500 while Dugga, Bennett, and Stroud ended the season at +2000, +3000, and +5000, respectively. At that point, Caleb Williams looked ready for his date in NYC.
Caleb Williams Wins Heisman Trophy
The greatest player in college football is a USC Trojan.
So proud of @CALEBcsw for winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy!
đź“ş: ESPN pic.twitter.com/il6PpqpRRx
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) December 11, 2022
And so last Saturday in New York, Caleb Williams – as he did on the football field all-season long, left no doubt who this year’s Heisman Trophy winner is. Williams received 544 first-place votes and a total of 2,031 points, easily beating Texas Christian’s Max Duggan who had 188 first-place votes and 1,420 total points in second place. Stroud finished third, and Bennett fourth. He also finished first in voting in all six Heisman regions.
Williams is the first Heisman winner at USC since Reggie Bush in 2005. He also joins Matt Leinart (2004), Carson Palmer (2002), Marcus Allen (1981), Charles White (1979), O.J. Simpson (1968), and Mike Garrett (1965) as the only Trojans to win college football’s highest individual award. Leinart, Palmer, and Williams are the only QBs in USC history to win the award.
The 20-year-old is also the fifth All-American Bowl athlete to win the trophy, joining Bryce Young (2021), Devonta Smith (2020), Derrick Henry (2015), and Tim Tebow (2007). He is also the third Heisman Trophy winner under Lincoln Riley in the last six years, joining Kyler Murray (2018) and Baker Mayfield (2017).
Williams’ historic first year with the Trojans also saw him become the school’s first black starting QB in more than 30 years. On the field, Williams also set USC records with 4,447 total offensive yards and 47 total touchdowns.
The success did not end with the stats and highlights. After Riley left Oklahoma for USC in November 2021, Williams followed his head coach and became the centerpiece of an impressive turnaround that saw the Trojans go 11-2 SU this season from 4-8 SU last campaign. But as he said during his Heisman Trophy acceptance, “you can’t win them all.”
The other three Heisman Trophy finalists are headed to the CFP Playoffs. Bennett’s Bulldogs are the -125 favorites to win the CFP title. Stroud’s Buckeyes are at +340 and Duggan’s Hornfrogs are listed at +1600 to win the Natty.
