The nation’s top quarterback, five-star, Caleb Williams trimmed down his choices of college down to the final three — Oklahoma, LSU and Maryland. The Gonzaga (Washington, DC) quarterback is the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the nation.
Oklahoma is the odds on favorite to land Williams, according to 247 Sports’ Crystal Ball. Williams has referenced Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley’s resume of developing quarterbacks — Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts — for the NFL. Both Mayfield and Murray won the Heisman and were drafted first overall in 2018 and 2019 NFL drafts.
LSU produced the most recent No. 1 overall pick — Joe Burrow. Williams also has a longstanding relationship with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Steve Ensminger.
Meanwhile, Maryland doesn’t have the prestige of winning on the field or developing recent top-level quarterbacks. However, Williams has had a strong relationship with Maryland’s offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery going back to his days at Duke.
Williams believes his commitment could bring along other top recruit, brewing a change at Maryland.
“With Maryland it’s really about whether they’re going to be able to win if I go there,” Williams told Rivals.com. “The main goal is to win championships and get a ring. I definitely think if I went there I could help bring in more guys. I think if I went there the impact would definitely [be] pretty strong.”
Maryland currently has a strong list of commitments for the 2021 class, ranking 12th in the nation with 247 Sports and Rivals with a strong focus on defense. That’s coming off the heels of an impressive 2020 class that landed five-star wide receiver Rakim Jarrett and four-star running back Peny Boone.
Williams’ decision is expected to be made before the 2020-21 academic year starts. Head coach Mike Locksley will have his work cut out for him, steering Williams off Oklahoma, but being in the final three gives his an incredible chance.
