Caleb Williams’ second NFL season changed the conversation fast.
After a rough rookie year in 2024, Williams came back in 2025 and brought the hype right back with him. The former USC star helped revive a Chicago Bears franchise that now looks like a contender in Year 3, and his own stock has climbed with it. Around the league, he’s being talked about like one of the best quarterbacks in football.
That’s the backdrop for Colin Cowherd’s latest take, which Vincent Parise highlighted in a recent article. Cowherd didn’t just put Williams near the top of the quarterback pecking order - he slotted him third overall.
“Most lists would have Allen and Mahomes as the top two, in either order. However, having Williams right behind them is a legitimate amount of respect. It might be too early to have him ahead of Burrow and Stafford, but that's the way Colin feels about it right now.
"He made two plays in the playoffs last year, one against Green Bay and one against the Rams, that broke football physics," Cowherd said. "It was early Mahomes. They just didn't make any sense."
That kind of praise says plenty about how Williams is viewed now. The Bears, for their part, likely wouldn’t trade him for many quarterbacks at all. His talent and upside have pushed him into the same kind of conversation as the league’s established stars, even if he’s only got one season of real success behind him.
Still, that’s the reality Williams is living in now: one strong year, a huge wave of belief, and a ceiling that has people talking about him like he belongs with the very best.
In Other News...
Waymond Jordan Just Gave USC Fans A Reason To Watch Honolulu Closely
Honolulu was already a familiar stop for Jayden Maiava, and the USC quarterback was back there again for a meet-and-greet and fundraiser tied to Aloha 1st Athletics and its Sports Week Hawaii initiative. He was joined by running back Waymond Jordan, giving Trojans fans another reminder that the programs Hawaii ties keep showing up in more than just recruiting conversations. Maiava has been active in the community there before, including a football clinic and school visits, while the event itself centered on a broader mission around sports, connection and support for local families.
Jordans presence carried its own significance for USC, especially with summer work and fall camp approaching. The running back is coming off an ankle injury from the 2025 season, and his return to public view in Honolulu offered a positive checkpoint after a long rehab stretch. For a team that will be watching its backfield closely, any update involving Jordan tends to draw interest, and this trip at least suggested he is moving in the right direction as the offseason rolls on. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Made USC Fans Even More Concerned About Notre Dame
For USC fans who have grown used to seeing Notre Dame on the schedule every fall, the news that the rivalry will not be played in 2026 lands with real sting. The annual meeting has been a fixture again since 2020, and before that kind of pause you have to go all the way back to World War II, so even a one-year break feels like a jolt for one of college footballs most familiar series.
The split is tied to a scheduling disagreement, with USC preferring an early-season game and Notre Dame pushing for a later date, and Lincoln Riley still said he wants the rivalry to continue. But his comments also left the door open to the idea that USC would be lining up for the game if a certain unresolved condition had been met, which is exactly the sort of detail that keeps this from feeling like a simple calendar issue. [Read more 🡒]
Three USC Returners Are Suddenly Carrying Lincoln Rileys Biggest Burden
USCs preseason spotlight has a way of settling on the obvious names, but the pressure inside Lincoln Rileys program is spreading beyond the headline stars. With a reloaded receiving corps around Maiava and a defense still sorting out new pieces, the Trojans are leaning on a handful of returners to stabilize both sides of the ball as expectations rise again in Los Angeles.
Hines is part of that burden on offense, where USC needs someone to emerge as a dependable target while the rest of the receiver room settles in. On the other side, Christian Pierce is being asked to help hold together a secondary that lost a key piece, and Jahkeem Stewart is among the defenders expected to make an immediate impact. The early schedule should offer a quick read on how ready those returners are, and whether this group can carry more of Rileys burden than it has before. [Read more 🡒]