As expected, Caleb Williams won’t play in Holiday Bowl for USC

So there you have it. The word has come down. The reality is now official, and no longer a matter of presumption or speculation. Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and the likely top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, will not play for the USC Trojans in the 2023 Holiday Bowl against Louisville. Lincoln Riley confirmed as much on Monday morning.

This likely brings Williams’ USC and collegiate playing career to an end. While Williams has not yet declared for the 2024 NFL draft, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he will. The NFL scouting combine is not that far away. Given that the Holiday Bowl is not a New Year’s Six bowl and does not have especially high stakes, it is entirely unsurprising that Caleb won’t play. The decision also opens the door for Miller Moss to get the starting assignment, and for Malachi Nelson to also get some work heading into 2024.

Lincoln Riley has visited transfer portal quarterback Will Howard — formerly of Kansas State — in recent days. Riley needs to see if Moss and Nelson can be legitimate QB1 options, or if a portal quarterback is needed for the USC quarterback room in 2024, as the Trojans move into the Big Ten.

#USC head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed Caleb Williams won’t play in the Holiday Bowl @On3USC pic.twitter.com/JnOkM1bj9f

— Scott Schrader (@Scott_Schrader) December 4, 2023

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