Caleb Williams Says He's "Picking At" Texas WR Commit Billy Bowman
When all is said and done, Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams might prove to be the most effective recruiting duo in the country, at least as far as the class of 2021 is concerned.
In his most recent 'All on the Line' blog, an SI All-American exclusive, Williams named the handful of prospects onto which he's focused his efforts. As Oklahoma continues to bolster an already strong 2021 class, Williams has definite designs on who he wants in the crimson and cream next fall.
"The recruiting, I know everybody loves it," he said. "I have been recruiting still, obviously. I'm still working on Damond (Harmon), working on Kelvin (Gilliam), still working on Emeka (Egbuka), Tristan (Leigh) and Bryce Foster. Those have been my main guys I've kind of been picking at."
Harmon is set to make his decision this Saturday, and Gilliam will commit on August 22. Egbuka, Leigh and Foster haven't yet announced a timeline for their commitments.
But as of late, there's one other top target in the picture for Williams.
Last week, Oklahoma extended an offer to a dynamic four-star wideout that happens to be pledged to a rival school. That got Williams' competitive juices flowing.
"I know Texas commit Billy Bowman just got an offer, so I'm picking at him a little bit," Williams said. "I know him. I've met him and we hung out a little bit at the Future 50. Even though he's on the opposite side, I'd love to have him... I know Texas is gonna hate that but I think the Sooners will love it."
A flip from Bowman would be quite the boasting point for Sooner Nation, but it would also provide Oklahoma with yet another playmaker to add to Williams' arsenal. He'd hardly have any complaints about that.
This week, Williams is fresh off the QB Collective in Indianapolis, where he received instruction from Colts head coach Frank Reich and former Colts linebacker Robert Mathis. Williams credited Mathis with helping him to see his play from a different perspective.
"[Defenders] study movements and keys," Williams said. "You need to make sure that when you do something once, and it feels comfortable and that's what you're gonna do, that you do it every single time in that exact way. Once you switch out, they'll know they can jump the snap, they'll know what type of play you're running, they'll know you're about to hand it off, about to pass, three-step or anything like that.
"I kind of knew that," Williams continued, "but it was more reassurance from a guy who, is retired now, but was a really good pass rusher. I needed that kind of reassurance to master my craft, study my own film and pay attention to details. He was speaking on guys like Drew Brees, like Peyton Manning, who he played with."
Williams also relished the opportunity to show off his skill set in front of NFL executives. He thrills at the idea of becoming one of those executives' draft picks one day.
"It's always fun," he said. "It's always nice being in front of guys like the NFL coaches and GMs that you hope to be in front of in the next couple years. I've been in front of those guys the past five years so it's nice to know they're seeing me kind of grow and progress throughout the years; I've been going from my seventh grade year to now going into my senior year. This is the year left here, then going into college and hopefully I make it to the next level."
Is it a little early for Williams to be thinking about the NFL? Perhaps. But on the other hand, he's SI All-American's top overall recruit in the 2021 class, and quite evidently has the talent to start for a Power 5 program today. By the time he dons the Sooner uniform, he'll only have sharpened his already uncanny skills.
Williams' senior season at Gonzaga College High School is currently in limbo due to COVID-19, and he's expressed a desire to enroll early at Oklahoma if his classes at Gonzaga are moved online. Stay up to date with SI Sooners for all the latest on Williams' timeline.
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