Caleb Williams is drawing plenty of Heisman Trophy buzz

This Saturday, the new-look USC Trojans will take the field against the Rice Owls.

After an offseason full of monster additions, including but not limited to Lincoln Roley, Caleb Williams, Travis Dye, and Jordan Addison, it is time to see if this group can live up to the hype.

Caleb Williams is one of a few players and staff who followed Riley over from Oklahoma, and there is a ton of hype buzzing around Williams.

After taking over for Spencer Rattler last season with the Sooners, he is all set to take the reins of the Trojan offense.

While some analysts and projections have C.J. Stroud of Ohio State as the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, it’s hardly a unanimous verdict. A few pundits such as Irish Wire’s Nick Shepkowski have Will Anderson of Alabama. No one is perceived as having a lock on this award.

Caleb Williams, who was predicted by Lee Corso to win the stiff-arm trophy this year, is getting a fair share of recognition. His name is topping some preseason lists of Heisman Trophy candidates:

Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are two obvious choices, and Young is trying to repeat as the Heisman winner. However, Williams has a clear path, especially if the Trojans are as good as advertised.

It is worth noting that former USC QB Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart are at 50/1. It is also worth mentioning that both Dye and Addison are on here.

Addison won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, and Dye — who was electric at Oregon — is the lead running back with USC.

It all begins with Rice in Week 1, and if Riley and the Trojans can make some noise in the Pac-12, Caleb Williams could be heading to New York for the Heisman Trophy Show in December.

List

A look at USC QB Caleb Williams' 2021 situational stats

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire