USC Football: Bears Make Decision on Whether Caleb Williams Will Be Day 1 Starter

Will the ex-Trojans Heisman winner suit up?

Apr 26, 2024; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears number one draft choice Caleb Williams at a press conference. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Although this may have been a bit of a formality, the Chicago Bears have officially made a determination on the identity of their starting quarterback heading into the 2024 season.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that former Heisman Trophy-winning USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams has been named the Day 1 starter for the Monsters of the Midway, according to head coach Matt Eberflus.

This hardly comes as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention to Chicago's offseason. The club offloaded previous starting quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth round pick. The Ohio State product's value depreciated massively since the Bears selected him with the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Williams was always expected to be the Bears' signal caller of the future. During a decorated USC career, he won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards, was a unanimous All-American, and was honored as the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year and Sporting News College Football Player of the Year, while also being named an All-Pac-12 First Teamer. That year, he led the Trojans to an 11-3 season finish, passing for 4,537 yards while completing 333-of-500 pass attempts. He logged 42 touchdowns against five interceptions. He also notched 382 rushing yards on 113 attempts, logging 10 rushing touchdowns. His 2023 run was a bit patchier. In 12 games, he went 7-5 (the team went 8-5 overall), while passing for "just" 3,333 yards and completing 266-of-388 attempts. He registered 30 touchdowns against five picks as a passer, while logging 11 rushing touchdowns.

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