Caleb Williams Blog: Sooner Summit Approaches as Final High School Season Decision Looms
Caleb Williams is the top quarterback prospect in the 2021 class with scholarship offers from elite programs coast to coast before committing to Oklahoma on July 4. He has agreed to give Sports Illustrated exclusive access into his world by chronicling everything from his experience as a high profile recruit to his home life and preparation for his senior season. This is 'All on the Line.'
Welcome back to another week of the blog, Caleb Williams: All on the Line.
This week may be a little bit different. Hasn't been much recruiting. Worked out a little bit.
As everybody knows, it's been a big week in sports to where college football may end up cancelling the season or pushing back games, pushing back the season. Even the official visits for the 2021 players, for those of us who want to get back on campus and enjoy our time at the schools we might end up at, will not happen. This week is big on the uncertainty of college football along with my last high school year at Gonzaga.
Starting off with college, I think in the next 72 hours or something like that, the Big Ten is gonna announce what they're going to do. If they're gonna push it back more, or if they're gonna cancel the season, that's probably the main thing they're thinking about. They've already pushed it back about as far as they could, maybe to the spring.
Even though I'm not in college, I have a few college friends that just don't really know what is going to happen. They don't know if it will be their last season, what's gonna happen with their eligibility and things like that. Not being able to show out their last season and get that opportunity they dreamed of as kids. The uncertainty of college right now is crazy, you never really had a thought of going a year without college football or a year without the NFL or a year without Friday night lights.
You try to think of the positives, you know? We're going to get through it. We're going to have a season. Try to be as safe as we can, but you don't really know. Us as players don't really control it, the coaches don't control if we're going to have a season or not, the higher ups do as they follow the impact of COVID-19.
You see the #WeWantToPlay movement on Twitter and Instagram, these players are coming out and saying if it's fine to opt out it should be fine to opt in. Sign a waiver or something like that. Some say there's nothing good for me back home, I'm the safest here. Putting that perspective of where they are in their college town. The higher ups at the NCAA, they don't really know or feel how much football really means to those players that are at those colleges.
I saw a thing on Twitter, I think the player goes to Florida, and he was like, 'there is nothing good for me back home.' That kind of hit hard because there's people that come from tough places in their home town and them being away, them being in college with the life they're living in college -- it very well could be their best time, their best place, a happy place where they're away from all of the drama. Away from the hardship. They can be in a very bad spot at home and being at a college is their peace, their happiness. But why can't the kids just stay on campus and keep training if they can't play?
It's kind of crazy, the uncertainty. I never thought I'd go a year without football or watching football. At least until I retired or was done with football forever.
Back to the high school aspect, we normally have a little bbq thing we do every year before the season. Obviously we couldn't do that. It's like an introduction for the freshmen. The seniors, the captains show up and get in front of the families and talk. Reflecting on their years here at Gonzaga. We haven't been able to do any of that. We got together, though. It was awesome seeing everybody's faces, that you could see. We had to split it up and be as safe as we could. We had to split up the groups into a bunch of groups to a certain number to where we could all get on the field. We took pictures, did a fun little touchdown type of thing, got a little bit of gear.
It's kind of crazy thinking my last year at Gonzaga is basically an 'I don't know' if it's gonna happen or if isn't gonna happen, but they've already pushed back the season to the spring. There is still so much uncertainty though. I'm still with my guys, still trying to be as positive as I can and trying to be around the guys, seeing their faces and things like that. Especially the seniors, we've been together for going on four years now. It's crazy to think that I really haven't seen my guys since January. Basically this whole year. Been around them a few times, but it's just not the same as being together every day, OTA's, training camp, practice Monday to Friday. Just chillin' with the guys, getting food, things like that. It's a little different.
It's crazy to think that my last time stepping on the field with my guys might have been a loss to Good Counsel. Kinda hurts but I try to stay positive and avoid that negative side that I'm starting to think that I'm not gonna have a season this year and see my guys. Even my high school, the schooling aspect of it, is all virtual. We were gonna do a hybrid type of thing where you come in once or twice a week and it's split up, where everybody has their certain days coming in, but they ended up pushing that to all online.
The uncertainty of us not having a season and college not having a season -- I never thought of it. It's been tough but like I said, you've got to stay positive, got to keep a smile on your face and keep pushing through.
The Sooner Summit thing, it's about getting out there to Norman with a couple of other guys, other recruits, that haven't seen the campus. Guys I would love having on the same team as me so we can achieve those goals we all aspire to reach. My family and I planned to go out there anyway to start putting down a few roots, but we thought it would be a good idea to invite a couple of guys out who hand't been there or need to get back and things like that, all at the same time. To help them with their decision and to start to build our brotherhood. The (Oklahoma) coaches and staff don't have anything to do with this because it's an NCAA dead period.
I texted a bunch of recruits that I was really close with about getting them out there, having a good time and just being loose. Normally visits are more tight, more on a schedule type of thing. It's not really what it's gonna be, it's gonna be the families that said they would like to come and my dad, my mom and me. Just enjoying each other's company, going around the campus and kind of getting the vibe with other guys and hopefully that's the place they choose to come ball out.
We're not gonna be all up tight on everybody. We're gonna follow the rules. We all have masks, we'll have hand sanitizer, things like that. We'll keep our distance but we're all gonna get together, have a good time and enjoy ourselves.
Alright guys, signing off for Caleb Williams: All on the Line.
I know we're going through tough times with this pandemic, and obviously college football and high school football maybe being cancelled. But you've got to look on the bright side, it's a time for preparation. A time to get bigger, stronger and faster. You gotta keep pushing, stay positive, keep that smile on your face and make sure you wash your hands.
#SoonerSummit
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