Bears QB Caleb Williams reveals getting heavily persuaded by Wisconsin fans during college days 

Former USC Trojans and now Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was selected first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. This week, he signed a four-year, $39.5 million guaranteed contract, including a $25.5 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option.

The former Heisman Trophy winner was a man in demand during his college days when he entered the transfer portal from the Oklahoma Sooners to follow coach Lincoln Riley to the USC Trojans. In 2021, he threw for 1,916 yards, resulting in 27 touchdowns.

For a while, he was linked to the Wisconsin Badgers under coach Paul Chryst. In the latest episode of "Hard Knocks," the Bears quarterback revealed the pressure that he was put under by Wisconsin fans to join the Badgers from the transfer portal.

“My best friend and his dad were at Wisconsin. We reached out to them to get the vibe of what’s going on over there," Williams said. "Somehow it caught wind that I was in contact with him but I was consistently in contact with those two because I grew up with them.

"Somehow it caught wind and it blew up on Instagram. But it wasn’t too huge, it wasn’t too crazy. There were a lot of Badgers fans [DMing me].".

Why did Caleb Williams leave Oklahoma?

Caleb Williams joined the Oklahoma Sooners from Gonzaga College High School to play for coach Lincoln Riley and he started the last seven games of the 2021 season.

When coach Riley departed for the USC Trojans, he decided to enter the transfer portal and despite interest from the UCLA Bruins and Wisconsin Badgers, he landed at USC.

During an interview with ESPN, the quarterback's father, Carl Williams, explained the reason behind his son's transfer from Oklahoma.

"You go to college to get prepared for your career," Williams said. "His (Caleb William's) chosen career path is professional football. We want him to be prepared for when that time comes."

Another reason why Caleb Williams left Oklahoma was the fact that quarterback Spencer Rattler won the QB1 spot ahead of him, frustrating him to no end by his own admission on an episode of "The Pivot."

"At the time, I was so angry, so frustrated, because ... that wasn't what I wanted to hear," Williams said.

In hindsight, the decision by Caleb Williams to leave the Oklahoma Sooners and join coach Lincoln Riley at USC seems like the right one, as he went ahead to win the Heisman Trophy and got picked No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.