Caleb Williams takes on ESPN analyst over 'adversity' take

USC QB Caleb Williams Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams claps back at ESPN analyst over 'adversity' take

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 4/10/24

USC Trojans star quarterback Caleb Williams isn't waiting until the Chicago Bears (probably) make him the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft to address criticisms related to his personality.

As shared by Robert O'Neill of Awful Announcing, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Greg McElroy raised eyebrows when he said during a Tuesday appearance on the "This is Football" podcast that Williams has "never experienced adversity" as a top-tier player.

"Very little adversity as far as how he was received and how he was received as the next-best guy," McElroy noted about Williams during the segment.

Instead of ignoring a comment that likely will mean little regarding his Chicago tenure, Williams took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to hit back at McElroy.

Let’s go back to school again ‍♂️cause I’m bored rn..

Adversity:
“A state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune.”

Y1. Didn’t start freshman year.
Y2. Popped hammy championship game 1st Q. Lost bc of my hammy.
Y3. 7-5 my last year of college ball. https://t.co/360cZjUGzD
— Caleb Williams (@CALEBcsw) April 9, 2024

Per Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune, Williams "felt a pop in his hamstring" in the first quarter of what became a 47-24 loss to the Utah Utes in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game. The 2023 Trojans also went 7-5 before Williams understandably opted out of the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl.

Williams seems a lock to be the draft's first overall pick, but has been no stranger to criticism this offseason. Retired player and current NFL analyst Merril Hoge said back in February he thought Williams was "not special." Three-time Pro Bowl selection Taylor Lewan generated headlines in March when he mentioned he "did not get a good vibe from" Williams after the signal-caller completed no medical evaluations at the combine. Supposed questions about Williams' character and leadership style, takes that may or may not be related to off-the-field occurrences, popped up this past fall and hover over him today.

Nothing McElroy or any other outside-the-building analyst says about Williams will impact what Chicago does with overall draft pick No. 1. As recently as Tuesday, Ted Nguyen of The Athletic shared that "Williams' mechanics were rated by far the highest" among the quarterback prospects in this year's draft class by "some of the top private quarterback coaches in the country."

Time will tell what Williams will and/or won't be as an NFL QB1, but he made it known on Tuesday that he has already willing to respond to those who seemingly want to find reasons for why he may flop at the highest level.

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