Caleb Williams finally joins USC Football in biggest win for Lincoln Riley yet

Lincoln Riley's biggest recruiting victory for USC football so far just arrived via the transfer portal.

After weeks of speculation and waiting, former five-star Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams confirmed he will follow his former head coach to Los Angeles.

Williams' transfer immediately raises the expectations of Riley's first season with the Trojans since the quarterback knows the offense. He'll have to adjust to a new team but he'll give Riley a familiar face to build the offense around along with Mario Williams, another former Sooner on his way to LA.

Caleb Williams transfer: Lincoln Riley gets QB to build around at USC

USC's quarterback situation got complicated with Jaxson Dart hitting the portal shortly after Williams announced his own decision to look at his options. For a time, it looked like the Trojans might return only former four-star quarterback Miller Moss from the class of 2021.

When it comes to Dart and Moss, however, Williams is still a no-brainer. He was the No. 2 quarterback in the class of 2021, according to the 247Sports composite. He ranked No. 7 nationally and has drawn comparisons to Dak Prescott with his strong arm and dual-threat ability. He also proved himself with a bright freshman campaign.

Especially with Dart taking off, there will be no QB competition with Williams.

Williams joined the Sooners to play for Riley, so as soon as rumors suggested LSU could be interesting in bringing over the head coach, the idea of the quarterback transferring emerged as well.

When Riley took the USC job, the possibility of Williams picking up and leaving for the Trojans was obvious.

Still, Williams finished out the bowl season with his former team and led the Sooners to an Alamo Bowl victory over Oregon. After the bowl, Williams announced he would enter the portal to explore his options and talk to other schools while keeping a return to Oklahoma as an option.

Williams was the top-rated target in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports' rankings.