There was no actual suspense to the matter, but coach Lincoln Riley made it official Monday in confirming that star quarterback Caleb Williams will not play in the Holiday Bowl for USC.
"No, he's not going to play," Riley said.
That means redshirt sophomore Miller Moss will make his first career start for the Trojans.
And while Riley didn't specifically address Williams' NFL draft decision -- the QB has not announced any plays for his future yet -- that much seemed implied as well, as Riley talked about the Trojans' quarterback situation for 2024 and whether or not he expects to add a transfer at the position.
"Specifically as quarterbacks, we’re looking at it. My goal right now is always to have multiple guys in the room that you feel like are starter-level guys that you feel like can really compete," Riley said. "... Yeah, we’re going to look in the portal at some quarterbacks, we’ll see how that thing unfolds. I like the guys that we have in the room, but I also – you always have a responsibility to the team to continue to look at potential people that could come in and make our room better and make our team better.
"And so not ready to say that we would for sure do anything -- we’re just going to take a look and evaluate and see how it all unfolds, but excited for those guys, obviously excited for their opportunity upcoming."
Meanwhile, Riley talked about the development of Moss, a four-star prospect from the 2021 recruiting class, who has completed 43 of 59 passes for 542 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INT (plus 2 rushing TDs) in limited relief work the last three years -- and five-star freshman Malachi Nelson, who has been limited off and on by injury in his first year with the program.
"I’ve been super pleased with Miller ... just in his development. Very excited for the way that he’s progressed. I think he’s been really, really strong here as the backup the last two years and I think has gained a lot of momentum. I think he’s really improved as a player. I would liked to have been able to play him a little bit more here in the last couple of years, but the opportunities that he has had, he’s played well and he’s moved us well, which is I think no surprise. So I fully expect him to be in the mix no matter what happens," Riley said.
"Malachi is obviously a young guy, he’s got a world of talent, he’s working hard, he’s had a few physical hurdles he’s had to overcome, which has not been – it hasn’t necessarily been maybe the smoothest of years and a lot of it out of his control just trying to get back healthy where he can train and develop to the level that he wants to and we all want to. He’s certainly going to get there and certainly has a bright future and has battled for a lot of things. So we’re eager to get him back completely healthy and back where he’s developing on a really fast track, and I don’t think he’s that far away from it but that’s still been a little bit of a process."
The Trojans don't have a quarterback committed in this 2024 recruiting class and chose to this point not to reach beyond their top targets once five-stars DJ Lagway (Florida) and Dylan Raiola (Georgia) committed elsewhere.
Riley has a commitment from the top QB -- and top overall player -- in the 2026 class, five-star Julian Lewis, who may consider reclassifying into the 2025 class.
But with Williams off to the NFL, USC has only three scholarship quarterbacks set to return next year in Moss, Nelson and former JUCO transfer Jake Jensen, who has not appeared in a game with the Trojans.
As for Williams, who had previously stated he needed time to make a decision on his future, he would finish his college career with a Heisman Trophy, 10,082 passing yards, 93 touchdowns and 14 interceptions along with 966 yards and 27 touchdowns rushing.
