USC football honors Caleb Williams by retiring No. 13

Traditions are traditions. If you win a Heisman Trophy at USC, you get your number retired. As expected, Caleb Williams' No. 13 will no longer be worn by any one on the Trojans football team. Yes, this needed to happen because Williams was the most talented quarterback I have seen in the college game in at least a decade. However, I am even more happy to see Reggie Bush's No. 5 back!

USC will have its home opener late into the evening on Saturday night, as the Trojans will host the Utah State Aggies at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. While Williams be preparing for his first NFL game, as his Chicago Bears host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon, the Trojan Family will proudly look at that No. 13 banner for him. Personally, I would have waited until he could be there.

Then again, USC knows a thing or two about winning Heisman Trophies. This is the perennial West Coast power, now competing in the Big Ten. Wiliams was USC's first Heisman winner since Bush won his back in 2005. Both players were as captivating as they were polarizing, but we all knew we were watching greatness in real time whenever they were on the gridiron for the Trojans. They earned this.

Here is what it all looks like from above with Bush's No. 5 situated right next to Williams' No. 13.

My only wish is that USC would have respected Carson Palmer's No. 3 jersey a bit more in 2022...

Caleb Williams' No. 13 retired by USC, Reggie Bush's No. 5 re-retired

As long as D'Anton Lynn's defense holds up, head coach Lincoln Riley should be able to add more Heisman winners to USC lore. Miller Moss looked great vs. the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas last Sunday. He still has a ways to go to get on Williams' level, but you can never put a price on a Riley-coached quarterback doing big things on the field and racking up numbers on the stat sheet. Keep an eye out.

Overall, Williams did give USC its best season in years back in 2022 when he one the Heisman. While his final season with the Trojans was a disaster, highlighted by rampant coaching malpractice, you can't really blame him for how bad the team was a year ago. Fortunately for USC, this feels like a playoff team in the new postseason format. The Big Ten should be able to get four of its teams in.

Ultimately, how well USC plays as a team together will determined if the Trojans can do something Williams could, which was to lead this team to the College Football Playoff. It is an expanded format, I know, but last year still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. The good news is Moss kind of reminds me of Matt Leinart. If he can play up No. 11's standard, USC might need to make room for another banner.

For now, we can only look at Williams one way when it comes to his USC football career: Legendary.