QB Rankings: Caleb Williams

November 19, 2021February 1, 2022 CFB Saturdays Staff

Updated: 01/19/2022

With the season underway players have had the opportunity to raise their stock and move up the rankings. Before we jump into Caleb Williams, here’s a few reminders about the rankings themselves:

The rankings will be updated throughout the season.
Players who have not played college football are not eligible for the rankings.
Players are graded on their college ability, not their pro potential.
We are judging players on their film, production and physical tools.

You can view the College Football QB Rankings here.

Oklahoma quarterback, Caleb Williams arrived at Oklahoma with the highest of expectations. He played some in specific situations early in the year, but took over for Spencer Rattler and led a big comeback to beat Texas. Williams started every game after that, completing 65 percent of his passes and averaging 9.1 yards per attempt with 21 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. He also rushed for 435 yards at 5.5 yards per carry and 6 touchdowns during the season. While there were some tough games late in the year, Williams played well in the bowl game against Oregon and proved over the course of the season that he is an electric player with the ability to be one of the best in college football.

Williams is an explosive athlete, who can create big plays out of thin air. He has the short area quickness and power to be dangerous as a runner, making quick cuts and powering past defenders to make big plays for his team. Williams’ uncanny ability to make defenders miss is on display in the pocket as well. He can evade pressure and buy time to make plays throwing the ball, where other quarterbacks would have been sacked. On top of these explosive physical tools, Williams’ has a flair for the dramatic, finding the big moments and making plays that change games in those moments.

That athleticism is not all that makes Williams special, he also has great arm strength. He has the ability to stretch the defense vertically with deep balls to his receivers or fit passes into tight windows in the intermediate passing game. Williams gets plenty of juice on the ball to squeeze it into tight windows and get it past defenders before they can locate it and react to it. That arm strength shows up both in the pocket and when Williams scrambles to avoid pressure. Even when he is off balance and on the move he can get the ball downfield with some steam behind it and make a big play.

Caleb Williams is still a young quarterback, he will have to prove he can consistently make reads against quality defenses. Fortunately he has a head start with rare athletic ability and raw talent that gives him a leg up on the competition. His ability to make so many game changing plays this early in his career is a promising sign for the young quarterback. Williams has elite talent and has only scratched the surface of his immense potential.

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