Williams Details Academics, Recruiting Fellow Top Prospects in Latest 'All on the Line' Blog
Caleb Williams is the top quarterback prospect in the 2021 class with scholarship offers from elite programs coast to coast. 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.'
What's Up?
Last week was kind of crazy, also kind of surreal. Realizing the announcement in the blog, the impressions of people viewing it, was kind of surreal and kind of cool. Just knowing that people wanted to see it, with the top five being a bit of a surprise to everyone.
So I finished my last week of school before spring break. Shoot, the whole top five and then my last week of school...it was kind of a hectic week. The last day of school I had a five-page research paper due, two tests and a big chemistry quiz. My research paper was probably the biggest thing, it was about the abolition movement of 1848. It was interesting to me, so I dug into the writing process.
All six of my classes are online and have been that way since the emergency shutdown. At Gonzaga, we all have to have a laptop or an iPad or some type of device we can see to get online. All of our homework and projects are on there so doing things online doesn't feel different.
But getting up and being at home, to sit through the 40-minute classes from 8:10 to 2:40 -- the harder part is adjusting to that.
Relating this pandemic to football, there's a lot of sudden change and a lot of adjustments you have to make throughout a game. Hopefully, though the experiences we've had, I'm pretty good at adapting now.
Going to school and being at home is kind of cool, too. It's an adjustment you have to make or you will fail. You have to make the adjustment quite fast because if you miss a week of school at Gonzaga, there's absolutely no way to catch up.
Going into recruiting...
Now that I released my top five, I'm able to recruit and just build relationships with other top athletes in the nation. It's kind of cool and I've been waiting to do that. I wanted to release my top schools to be able to recruit and build relationships with these top guys. I want to help get the best recruiting class and character guys to play with me wherever I am. To go win a few national championships.
When I talk to them it's me being myself, really. I'm not really pressuring guys I'm just talking to them consistently and building a friendship. Friendships go a long way. Communicating with them constantly and preaching to them that this is my top five and this is how I'm feeling, things like that. Hopefully they'll listen and want to play with you.
I'm not competing with the actual recruiters who get paid to do this, though [laughing]. I'm just being myself and trying to bring guys with me. Hopefully that's enough. If not, then I wish them the best and to go have a great career.
A few guys I want to play with, Jalil Farooq, he goes to Wise. Malcolm Johnson, he goes to St. Stephen's & St. Agnes. Mario Williams, he goes to a school in Florida. Agiye Hall. Emeka (Egbuka), he's out west. That's a lot of wide receivers but I have some linemen I want to play with, too. Tristan Leigh from Virginia and the left tackle at IMG, JC Latham.
It's like LeBron James, and obviously I'm not anywhere near LeBron James, to give him his respect. But just looking up to him, how he portrays himself and how that helps to get guys that want to play with him. Getting guys that want to play with him and want to go win with him is totally different than guys who want to just be with him. I kind of want to have that type of leadership in bringing guys in that want to win and be progressing.
Being able to have the same options along with top guys in the nation is pretty cool, especially when you can build relationships and bring those guys with you. You really don't get that in high school, especially at Gonzaga because you have to get in the school first. So you're not able to bring guys in like college. Then in the NFL, like my dad says, they choose you. You don't choose what team you want to go to, at least not in the first contract you get.
College is pretty unique and pretty special.
I'm still communicating with the college coaches consistently. With the timeline, I've always wanted to commit before my senior year of football. That's still the plan, I don't want to move that unless I have to. I'm still wanting to stay before the season but if that has to change then it has to change.
Those top five schools are the best schools for me. If one of those schools brought another guy in (at quarterback), it doesn't really matter to me. I like to compete, it makes you better. If you don't like to compete I think this is the wrong sport for you.
Right now at Gonzaga, we are not done working out. Even though we can't physically be there, we have online meetings every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The blockade we have right now with this pandemic is not stopping us from progressing as a team. Hopefully we'll be getting back together soon. I'm continuing my own in-home workouts and wearing my recruiter hat...LOL. Hit me online if you want in.
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Week number five, wow. After that explosive fourth week, we're getting back to work so everybody stay safe and healthy!
Wash your hands.
Caleb Williams, All on the Line, signing out.
All on the Line: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4
Twitter: @CALEBcsw
Instagram: ayeeecaleb