Sunday’s matchup between the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders will feature a meeting of two former marquee USC Trojans with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.
During his time at USC (2022-23), Williams won the prestigious Heisman Trophy and became the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft for the Bears.
Twenty years before Williams was winning accolades at USC, Carroll led them to National Championship titles in 2003 and 2004, although one was vacated due to controversy around NCAA sanctions. Carroll also led the Trojans to seven consecutive conference championships, so it’s safe to say the young Bears quarterback and Carroll, the oldest coach in the NFL, had plenty of success during their collegiate days.
Before Sunday’s matchup, Carroll, who interviewed for the Bears’ head coaching vacancy this offseason, had praise for Williams and what his new head coach, Ben Johnson, is going with him.
“I did watch him a lot [at USC] and had a chance to check him out,” Carroll said. “He’s a very, very special athlete and he’s got great sense, great awareness about throwing the football and running the football. He’ll be a prolific scrambler, and by the time we check out his years, he’s really good at it and throws really well on the run, too.
“They have a really nice system. You can see it already coming through. [Ben Johnson] is doing a nice job teaching these guys what he believes is important in offense. You can see that there are a lot of changes from last year. Caleb can do whatever you want him to do, so he’s a very dangerous player to play against.”
Williams is coming off his most impressive start in the NFL, throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns, without throwing an interception or taking a sack against the Dallas Cowboys. He’ll have an opportunity to continue his momentum against Carroll’s Raiders and get the Bears to a .500 record before they head into their bye week.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Raiders HC Pete Carroll calls Bears QB Caleb Williams ‘very dangerous’
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
