Caleb Williams, Olu Fashanu & Gonzaga, set to headline NFL draft’s first round
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Pictures line the walls of Randy Trivers’ office on eye street. There are photos of former Gonzaga College high school football teams and players, and newspaper clippings of big wins.
In Trivers’ office, it’s hard to miss the mementos of his team’s 2018 WCAC championship victory. Every member of the team signed a football encased in a glass box that sits on one of Trivers’ shelves. Among the signatures: quarterback Caleb Williams and left tackle Olu Fashanu.
More than five years after what is considered one of the greatest moments in the history of high school sports, Williams and Fashanu, former Gonzaga stars, are just weeks away from almost certainly hearing their names called in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
“I think it’s got to be, as far as where it stands,” Trivers said. “I don’t know that there’s too many moments that you can really dream of, just as far as how the whole thing unfolded.”
On November 18, 2018, facing DeMatha in the WCAC title game and after trailing 20-0 in the first half, Trivers’ Eagles found themselves down 43-40 with four seconds remaining – lined up at their own 47-yard line.
“Everybody sees Caleb launch that ball and John Marshall catch the ball, but sometimes you forget about those guys blocking and Olu was one of those guys making sure that the QB had the time to launch that ball up there and the receivers had the time to make the catch.”
Trivers told DC News Now it’s no surprise that both Williams and Fashanu have excelled at the college level, praising both for their football skillsets and leadership qualities. He’s confident that their success will continue in the NFL and is eager to hear their names called on draft night.
“The way that [the 2018 championship] unfolded, it helps you understand the fabric and the heart of who those two young men really were and are,” Trivers said. “My palms may be a little sweaty, my heart may be beating a little bit fast, hoping that it’s one of our guys.”
Williams is essentially a lock for the number one selection in the draft held by the Chicago Bears. Williams played at Oklahoma and USC in his college career. As a Trojan, he won the 2022 Heisman trophy and shouted out Trivers and Gonzaga during his speech.
“He’s been a player at that position that can throw the ball with velocity, throw the ball with touch, throw the ball with accuracy. He can run the ball with elusiveness and power,” Trivers said. “In all of those ways, he’s continued to evolve and grow and develop.”
Once Williams name is called, Trivers said he’ll shift his focus to waiting on Fashanu. Fashanu is also projected to go in the first half of the first round by a consensus of draft pundits. Fashanu spent the past four seasons at Penn State. He didn’t allow a single sack in the last two seasons.
“Olu is a machine. He is a unique, unique human being in a lot of ways,” Trivers said. “He’s special. No doubt.”
Surrounded by Gonzaga memorabilia and memories in his office, as he gears up to try and put in work in the offseason to help lead the Eagles back to a WCAC title for the first time since a miraculous night in 2018, Trivers can’t help but look toward April 25.
“We’re proud of them and I’m proud of them, whether they’re the first pick or the last the pick, for what they’ve done up to the point and for what I believe they will do,” Trivers said. “We’re ecstatic. I am very very excited for that day and very very proud. It’s really a joy for me to be able to witness and have a small part of it.”
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