USC quarterback Caleb Williams is slated to be a top-three pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Historically, such an honor comes with a significant change in lifestyle — especially prior to July 1, 2021.
The era of Name, Image and Likeness has changed that process. There is no longer such a big jump from being a broke student-athlete living in a crummy college apartment to the lavish lifestyle of a first-round pick.
In most instances, college football players of that caliber are getting compensated pretty well prior to their departure to the National Football League. They can typically their talent into lucrative partnerships with big-name brands in addition to their paychecks from the school’s NIL collective.
Caleb Williams is the perfect example!
As the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, he was the biggest name in the sport during the 2023/24 season. Although the year didn’t go as well for USC as he might have hoped, he got paid.
Caleb Williams had/has deals with Wendy’s, Postmates, Beats by Dre, Dr Pepper, United Airlines, PlayStation, Neutrogena, AT&T, Celsius and Fanatics, among others.
The 22-year-old was not living like most people his age!
Williams drove a black Porsche Taycan in 2022. He drove a red one, that Jordan Addison called ‘Lightning McQueen,’ this year.
When Williams wasn’t playing football or driving around in style, he was living lavishly in his downtown Los Angeles penthouse. One of his teammates shared an image of the superstar quarterback playing cards on Wednesday night. The sunset provided an incredible backdrop in his floor-to-ceiling windows!
Williams shared some other photos from his apartment back in August. It is located right in the heart of downtown, not far from campus, and it is definitely up there in terms of elevation!
Whenever Williams gets on the elevator at his complex, he is headed to the top floor. That’s pretty crazy, considering that Reggie Bush had his Heisman Trophy revoked because his parents accepted a little bit of money and a house before their son graduated.
Times have changed! The NIL era is just different.