Plaschke: Heisman Trophy to best college QB ever? For Caleb Williams, the journey has begun

His first pass soared downfield for a long completion to Brenden Rice. His second pass floated into the corner of the end zone for a touchdown to Mario Williams.

It’s baseball season, and Caleb Williams is the best pitcher in town.

It’s NBA playoff season, and Caleb Williams is the best point guard in town.

Williams is so good, apparently he doesn’t even need much practice, as he threw only those two passes and participated in only three plays in USC’s spring game Saturday in front of a small but passionate Coliseum crowd.

“He’s played a lot of football,” said Coach Lincoln Riley of his decision to bench his star. “You come into a deal like this, my job is to look at what can we get the most out of today … I don’t know that playing two or three more series is going to change anything for Caleb in September, October, November.”

And December, better count on December. Come to think it, don’t forget January.

With the stakes so high, it was smart for Riley to save his quarterback for the real thing, because the real thing can wind up being an historic thing.

If Caleb Williams passes and runs and leads the Trojans through another season like last season, he could end it as the greatest quarterback in college football history.

Better than Florida’s Tim Tebow, who won two national titles but wouldn’t have Williams’ numbers.

Better than Louisiana State’s Joe Burrow, who had the most incredible single season for a college football quarterback in 2019 but only did it once.

Better than even USC’s own Matt Leinart, who won two titles and a Heisman but failed to win a second Heisman after he voted for teammate Reggie Bush.

Playing on a national stage with one of the nation’s premier franchises, Williams can become the first quarterback, and only the second player, to win two Heisman Trophies.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams takes the snap before connecting on a touchdown pass to Mario Williams in the first quarter of the Trojans’ spring game Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Playing under the tutelage of not only Riley but fellow quarterback whisperer Kliff Kingsbury, Williams can become the most NFL-ready quarterback to enter the draft since Andrew Luck finally left Stanford in 2012.

Surrounded by better and more schooled skill players in Riley’s first season, Williams can rack up better numbers than even last year’s 4,537 yards, 52 total touchdowns and five interceptions.

And – with a defensive line that looks tons bigger than last year’s weary unit — Williams can lead the Trojans to a national title if they can ever learn to tackle.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime assignment, but Williams has all the tools to become the greatest quarterback in college football history.

And here’s guessing he knows it.

Williams wasn’t made available to the media Saturday, but, earlier this spring, while showing off a shortened haircut that drastically changes his formerly shaggy look, he spoke humbly to reporters about his lofty goals.

“Everyone has things to learn, myself included,” he said. “I want to be better than I was last year, there’s things that I could have done better…there’s a lot more that I know.…I just want to be the best.”

When asked Saturday about one thing that Williams can improve, Riley grinned and said, “It’d be hard to narrow it down to one, honestly.”

In what will surely be a crazy NIL-laden season, expect Williams to remain humble if only because Riley is the one coach who can keep him that way.

The coach talked about Williams’ occasional struggles with reading defenses and game management.

“Kind of situation mastery, which is, I thought he did some really good things in them last year, but there’s some things that we would want back,” Riley said. “There’s learning the position, there’s learning the offense, there’s learning the routes, there’s learning how to execute…you have to be able to process that so quickly because the situation can change down to down…it was good last year. It needs to be great this year.”

Williams handled his biggest situation perfectly Saturday when he was handed the USC replica of his Heisman Trophy between the two quarters of the spring game.

Before receiving the statue, he joyously hugged several departing seniors who had joined him on the field. Then once he received it, he waved it wildly in the air while celebrating with the seniors.

It didn’t feel like it was about him. It felt like it was about USC.

USC running back Raleek Brown (14), wide receiver Mario Williams (4) and quarterback Caleb Williams (13) make their way to the practice field on March 28.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

It feels like if anybody can handle the oncoming pressure, it will be Williams. And, goodness, there will be pressure.

During an interview broadcast on the Coliseum scoreboard Saturday, Matt Leinart said that pressure was the most difficult thing about trying to become the first quarterback to win consecutive Heisman Trophies.

“Just the expectation and pressure you put upon yourself,” said Leinart. “I remember almost weekly the pressure I put on myself to try and be perfect.”

Leinart talked about struggling throughout most of that memorable victory at Notre Dame in 2005, and how that sent him into the offensive coordinator’s office seeking advice.

“The ‘Bush Push’ game I played so poorly…I remember sitting down with Sark in his office on Monday,” Leinart remembered. “I told him, ‘Man, I am pressing, I’m trying to be perfect, I’m trying to live up to all this stuff.’”

Leinart said Sark set him straight.

“It kind of took that conversation with coach just to kind of say, it’s not about me, just go have fun,” Leinart remembered.

The former quarterback hopes this next great quarterback can share that understanding.

“Caleb is so special, he’s an extremely confident young man…but there are expectations…mostly trying to lead this team to a national championship,” Leinart said. “That’s the pressure he puts on himself and the pressure and expectations that everyone in this stadium and in college football puts on him.”

The USC football team will return to this Coliseum field Aug. 26 in the season opener again San Jose State.

Expect Caleb Williams to throw more than two passes, play more than one series, and create more than a brief brilliant memory.

Expect a season full of them.

History awaits.