NFL · Bears · November 12, 2026
Caleb Williams' High School Hail Mary and the Road to Iceman
Before he was the Iceman, before the Heisman and the No. 1 pick, he was a 17-year-old sophomore in Washington with one play left and 53 yards to go.
The Bears are on a bye this week, 7-2 and winners of four straight, which makes it a good week to tell the whole story. It starts at Gonzaga College
High School in Washington, D.C., runs through a comeback against Texas that made him famous at 19 and a Heisman in Los Angeles, and lands in Chicago,
where a teammate gave him a nickname he later tried to trademark. Here it is, in 12 chapters.
Caleb Williams, by the numbers
17his age at the Hail Mary, to the day
10,082college passing yards
No. 1pick in the 2024 draft
5-1as the starter in 2026, through Week 9
The Origin Story
The origin story, in 12 chapters
Facts from his Wikipedia biography, Gonzaga, WTOP, NFL.com and the Bears.
2001Washington
Born in the nation’s capital on November 18, 2001,
per his biography. He grew up in the D.C. area.
Chapter 1 Start2018Gonzaga
Sophomore: 2,624 passing yards, 26 TD plus 394 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores at Gonzaga College High School. He was named D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year.Chapter 2
BreakoutNov. 182018
The birthday Hail Mary In the WCAC championship against DeMatha, Gonzaga came back from 20 points down, then lost the lead on a kickoff return. With seconds left, Williams threw a 53-yard Hail Mary to John Marshall for a 46-43 win,
per WTOP. It was his 17th birthday.
Chapter 3 Legend2019Gonzaga
Junior: 1,770 passing yards, 19 TD and 838 rushing yards with 18 rushing touchdowns. All-Met first team again.Chapter 4
Encore2020Elite 11
Finals MVP, then no senior season He was named MVP of the Elite 11 quarterback finals. His senior season at Gonzaga was canceled because of COVID-19, and he arrived at Oklahoma as one of the top quarterback recruits in the country.Chapter 5
Detour2021Oklahoma
Off the bench against Texas In the Red River game Oklahoma trailed 35-17 when he came in for Spencer Rattler. He threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 88 more and a score, and Oklahoma won 55-48.Chapter 6
Arrival2021Oklahoma
Freshman: 1,912 yards, 21 TD, 4 INT His first start, against TCU, brought four touchdown passes and a rushing score in a 52-31 win. In February 2022 he followed coach Lincoln Riley to USC.Chapter 7
Transfer2022USC
Heisman: 4,537 yards, 42 TD, 5 INT plus 10 rushing touchdowns. He also won the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards and was a unanimous All-American.Chapter 8
Heisman2023USC
3,633 yards, 30 TD, 5 INT He left college with 10,082 passing yards and 120 total touchdowns. USC retired his No. 13 in 2024.Chapter 9
Exit2024Chicago
No. 1 overall, wearing 18 The Bears drafted him first overall at 22. Keenan Allen had No. 13, so he took 18. The rookie season was rough: 5-12 and 68 sacks.Chapter 10
Drafted2025Chicago
11-6, NFC North champions 3,942 yards, 27 TD and 7 INT. The Bears won the division for the first time since 2018 and beat Green Bay 31-27 for their first playoff win since 2010.Chapter 11
Turnaround2026Chicago
The Iceman: 5-1 as the starter A hamstring injury in Week 2 cost him Weeks 3 through 5, the first games he has missed in the NFL. Since returning he has not lost. Through Week 9: 134 of 195 (68.7%), 1,546 yards, 8 TD, 5 INT,
per his NFL.com game log.
Chapter 12 Now
He won a conference title game with a 53-yard Hail Mary on his 17th birthday. The Iceman nickname came later. The ice was always there.
The short version
Every Level, One Table
Passing yards and touchdowns at each stop. The 2026 line covers the six games he has played.
| Level | Year | Passing yards | Pass TD |
|---|
| Gonzaga (soph.) | 2018 | 2,624 | 26 |
| Gonzaga (junior) | 2019 | 1,770 | 19 |
| Oklahoma | 2021 | 1,912 | 21 |
| USC (Heisman) | 2022 | 4,537 | 42 |
| USC | 2023 | 3,633 | 30 |
| Bears | 2024 | 3,541 | 20 |
| Bears | 2025 | 3,942 | 27 |
| Bears | 2026 (6 games) | 1,546 | 8 |
The Details Fans Search For
Why he paints his nails
Williams started painting his fingernails in his last year of high school. He told reporters at USC that the quarterback touches the ball on every play, so he wants his hands to stand out, and that the nails are a nod to his mother, who has worked as a nail technician his whole life, per CBS Sports. It is also why “Caleb Williams nails” keeps showing up in fantasy team name searches.
The Iceman, and the trademark
The nickname came from teammate Luther Burden III, for how calm Williams stays under pressure. Williams filed to trademark “Iceman” in March 2026. In June the patent office issued a non-final refusal of the clothing and sporting goods application, citing LaCrosse Footwear’s Iceman boots, registered in 1988, and San Antonio Spurs legend George Gervin filed his own Iceman application four days after Williams did, per the Chicago Sun-Times. Williams had three months to respond. His Iceman logo application was still pending at the time.
Chapter 12, Continued: The 2026 Season
Week 9 was the whole personality in one night. Against Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Football he threw four interceptions, then hit Colston Loveland for 38 yards on the final drive to set up the winning field goal in a 27-24 win, per the Bears. Chicago is 7-2 and has won four straight. Afterward he said he would “throw until I can’t throw anymore,” per ABC7 Chicago.
He has 9,029 career passing yards, 971 short of 10,000. Next up after the bye: New Orleans at Soldier Field on November 22, then Detroit on Thanksgiving,
and the Packers on Christmas Day on Netflix, per the Bears schedule.
If you have followed him since Gonzaga or USC, the Iceman shirt says it best, and
Planet Euphoria’s hand-drawn NFLPA tee collection has his designs next to the rest of the league’s stars.
Wear the nickname
Planet Euphoria’s hand-drawn NFLPA player tees: hand-printed in Schenectady, New York, individually numbered and limited to 500 per design. $35, adult and youth sizes, free shipping.
Caleb Williams Iceman
Caleb Williams V2
Get the numbered Caleb Williams Iceman tee →
Caleb Williams: Your Questions, Answered
Where did Caleb Williams go to high school?
Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. As a sophomore in 2018 he threw for 2,624 yards and 26 touchdowns and was D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year. His senior season was canceled because of COVID-19.
What was Caleb Williams’ high school Hail Mary?
In the 2018 WCAC championship against DeMatha, on his 17th birthday, he threw a 53-yard Hail Mary to John Marshall in the final seconds to win 46-43.
Where did Caleb Williams play college football?
Oklahoma in 2021, then USC in 2022 and 2023. He won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 2022 and finished college with 10,082 passing yards and 120 total touchdowns.
Why is Caleb Williams called the Iceman?
Bears teammate Luther Burden III gave him the nickname for his calm under pressure. Williams has said ice is calm on top with energy underneath.
How old is Caleb Williams?
He was born November 18, 2001, so he is 24 until his birthday on November 18, 2026, when he turns 25.
Where can I buy a Caleb Williams Iceman shirt?
Planet Euphoria sells a hand-drawn Caleb Williams Iceman graphic tee in its NFLPA player line, hand-printed in Schenectady, New York and individually numbered in a run of 500, for $35 with adult and youth sizes. The Bears team store carries standard Caleb Williams jerseys.
Biography and high school and college statistics from Wikipedia; the 2018 WCAC final from WTOP and Gonzaga College High School; the nails from
CBS Sports; the trademark from the Chicago Sun-Times; 2026 game log from NFL.com; Week 9 from the Bears and ABC7 Chicago; schedule from Fox Sports. Checked November 11,
2026. Totals, records and the 10,000-yard math are our calculations. No player, team or league is affiliated with or endorses this article.