Big 12 Football: UGA emerging as the favorite for QB Caleb Williams?
The biggest piece of news to come about around the Big 12 football conference this week concerns the Oklahoma Sooners star freshman quarterback and former elite five-star recruit Caleb Williams. The Sooners breakthrough quarterback made waves this week by officially putting his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
And it appears that there could be an emerging landing spot that is a favorite for Williams just a few days after originally putting his name in the transfer portal. According to a report from 247Sports this week, the Georgia Bulldogs and head coach Kirby Smart are potentially emerging as a frontrunner to land a commitment from Williams out of the transfer portal.
This does seem to be an emerging trend that came about earlier this week. It also sounds like NIL deals are going to play a major factor in where Williams goes next.
This deal with Williams is starting to feel more like a free agency than it does an ordinary heated battle on the recruiting trail. And that is definitely the world that NIL was going to present for top stars that put their name in the transfer portal in this day and age, such as Williams.
Big 12 football star QB Caleb Williams could be favorited to land with Georgia out of the portal
Whoever lands Caleb Williams is willing to lose who they've got. And maybe I'm being naive, but he'll earn a ton of NIL $ wherever he goes. To me it's a question of supporting cast, OC/HC, CFP potential. https://t.co/3wR5aL6dtw
— Max Olson (@max_olson) January 3, 2022
With the rumors of a huge NIL deal for Caleb Williams at Georgia, I started thinking about which entities have seemingly large advertising budgets in Oklahoma.
— Emily Virgin (@EmilyVirginOK) January 3, 2022
I think I’ve got it: Shen Yun.
There is already plenty of smoke around social media, and just the media in general, regarding the potential role that NIL money is set to play in the pursuit of a commitment from Williams out of the transfer portal this offseason. A similar narrative was painted in a sense for quarterback Quinn Ewers prior to committing to Texas out of the portal last month.
NIL money was clearly going to play a role at whatever destination he chose out of the portal. And that is likely going to be the case with Williams. There are just a lot more schools that look to be involved in this process of recruiting Williams out of the transfer portal than there were with Ewers.
Moreover, Georgia is certainly a viable landing spot for Williams. They don’t have a clear answer for who their starting quarterback will be in 2022. And despite that uncertainty, the Dawgs are still playing for a National Championship next week against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
A few of the other potential landing spots that were mentioned more often thus far for Williams out of the portal are the Clemson Tigers, USC Trojans, Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers, and LSU Tigers, among others. Going back to Oklahoma also looks to be a possibility for Williams, depending on how this process plays out.
Next. Big 12: 4 landing spots for QB Caleb Williams. dark
Williams is definitely the highest-profile player in the transfer portal right now. This process will be closely followed and continues to be one of the biggest shakeups around the Big 12, and college football as a whole, early this offseason.