Caleb Williams new number: Why Bears' No. 1 draft pick is changing jersey worn at USC

Caleb Williams new number: Why Bears’ No. 1 draft pick is changing jersey worn at USC

It’s official — Caleb Williams is a member of the Bears.

To the surprise of no one, the USC star quarterback went No. 1 overall Thursday night at the 2024 NFL Draft. Chicago’s new starting quarterback is going to be changing out of his cardinal and gold for navy blue and orange as he adds his name to the Bears’ long starting-quarterback history.

However, that is not the only thing changing about his uniform. Williams is also making a change to the digits on the back of his jersey for his jump to the professional level.

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Here is more on why Williams is changing his number and what it is.

Caleb Williams number

Williams won’t be wearing his No. 13 jersey like he did with the Trojans. Instead, he’ll be donning No. 18.

The Chicago rookie hinted at the answer to that question ahead of the draft. The Bears traded for star wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Chargers this offseason, giving whoever is playing quarterback a receiving group consisting of Allen, D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet.

What’s important to note is Allen has been a member of the NFL since 2013, and wore No. 13 his entire career with the Chargers.

“If it was the Bears, I couldn’t tell you,” Williams said. “Because if I went there, there’s a 13-year Hall of Fame vet. So that would be tough. But yeah. We’ll see.”

Instead, Williams is going back to a number that he is familiar with — No. 18. It’s the same one he wore on the back of high school uniform at Gonzaga College High School.

MORE: How you can buy Caleb Williams jerseys on Fanatics

The switch was confirmed in a Bears social media post once the pick was officially submitted at the show in Detroit.

Caleb Williams college number

Williams’ college number wore No. 13.

He donned those digits the year in between Gonzaga and USC. Williams had the No. 13 at Oklahoma in 2021, his lone season with the Sooners. He kept the same number when he transferred to USC for the 2022 season.