All About Caleb Williams' Parents, Carl Williams and Dayna Price

NFL top prospect Caleb Williams' has thanked his dad and mom for their continuous support

Caleb Williams' parents, Carl Williams and Dayna Price, have watched him become one of the most talked about college football players in recent years.

In 2021, Caleb first caught national attention when he took over the quarterback position for the Oklahoma Sooners halfway through the Red River rivalry game against the Texas Longhorns and led the team to a 55–48 victory.

The talented freshman followed his coach, Lincoln Riley, to the University of Southern California the following year for a spectacular season that culminated with the coveted Heisman Trophy. Caleb used his speech to thank the village of people who had gotten him to this point, including “the most important woman in [his] life.”

“Thanks for always being my mom first,” he said. “The woman behind the scenes, who has a smile on her face and is willing to help others. You’re an inspiration to me in many ways.”

The crowd chuckled when Caleb turned his attention to “the old man over there,” referring to his father, Carl.

“Thank you for showing me the way,” the 2024 NFL top prospect continued. "It may seem to go unnoticed and appreciated but you mean the world to me. We’re in this together and I wouldn’t want any other way.”

From laying the foundation for their son’s success to providing constant support, here’s everything to know about Caleb Williams' parents, Carl Williams and Dayna Price.

Caleb's dad is part owner of a performance training facility

Carl is a commercial real estate developer by trade, and he also has a stake in Athletic Republic Capitol Region, a performance training facility with a reputation for producing elite athletes at the collegiate and professional level, according to its website.

One of the center’s most notable clients is his son, Caleb, and in the football player's celebratory speech for his 2022 Heisman Trophy win, he mentioned Carl's help.

“You instilled a work ethic in me at a young age that I can’t thank you enough for. From the training sessions to the late-night practices," Caleb said. "Even opening Athletic Republic so my guys and I could go train."

He added, "You’re always there for me, making sacrifices in your life so I can achieve mine. My dreams, which eventually became our dreams."

Carl created a blueprint for Caleb

As a youngster, Caleb alternated between playing running back and linebacker, but after a particularly tough loss, the then-10-year-old told his father he wanted to have more control over the outcome of games — he wanted to be a quarterback.

Though Carl was surprised by his son’s conviction at such a young age, he recruited two of his friends who were youth football coaches, and the trio crafted a plan to help Caleb's dreams materialize, including predawn workouts, quarterback tutelage and body recovery treatments.

“It’s one thing for a kid to say, ‘You know what? I just want to be the guy in control and I want to do this, that, and the other, throw the ball around,’ ” he told GQ in a 2023 interview. “It’s another to say, ‘I want to be the greatest.’ "

Carl added, "He said, ‘If I’m going to play quarterback, I want to be the greatest quarterback who ever played the game.’ ”

He also kept track of prospective college programs that would eventually help Caleb reach the national stage of football.

Carl is a trusted advisor to Caleb

Caleb has had to make a series of tough decisions in his young life, and his dad has been guiding him every step of the way.

When the then-Oklahoma quarterback decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal after one season in January 2022, he faced intense backlash from fans, who were excited about what he could continue bringing to the field.

Still, Carl was focused on his son’s best interests and helped him seek out a program that would set him up for future success at the next level.

“You go to college to get prepared for your career,” he explained to the Los Angeles Times. “You want to be a doctor, you go to med school at the best college you can go into. ... What we wanted to do was be prepared to play [in the NFL on] Day One. That was the driving force.”

After a month in the transfer portal, Caleb signed with USC, where his former coach Riley was, though his presence didn't completely influence his decision.

"I wanted to go somewhere I thought would provide me with the best development both on and off the field," he told ESPN. "Getting to know Coach Riley and gaining familiarity with his offense definitely played a part in my selection, as well as already knowing some the guys on the team."

Dayna used to paint Caleb’s nails

Caleb is known for his impressive play on the field, but he’s also gained fame for his signature manicure. The USC Trojan often paints his nails to send a message to his opponents and sometimes to address social issues.

Prior to a Washington State game in 2022, Williams helped spread suicide prevention awareness by sporting the phone number of the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on his nails a few days after World Mental Health Day.

The unique form of self-expression is also a tribute to Dayna, a nail technician.

"My mom was my inspiration," Caleb shared on Good Morning America. "She's been doing nails since I could remember. ... I [would play] my game or mess with my mom and kind of just sitting there [and] she'd always do my nails."

Their manicure-fueled bond was at the center of a commercial the mother-son duo filmed for his partnership with Dr. Pepper. In the ad, Dayna beams at her son as he gets a maroon and white “I Heart Dr Pepper” manicure to celebrate the soft drink brand’s Strawberries & Cream.

“I think the nails thing kind of took everybody by surprise,” Caleb told PEOPLE after filming the commercial. “I've been doing it before college, but it took everybody by surprise, just because you don't always see male athletes who play football paint their nails. But I think it's just another way of expression.”

Dayna was excited about an opportunity to work with her son.

“I thought it was a really awesome thing that we were able to do together,” she added. “I really like all the things that he is able to do at this particular point in his life, not just the football piece of it, but just being able to do so much more.”

Dayna is a source of support in tough times

Football has provided Caleb with many high points, but there have also been some difficult moments, and in those times, he has been able to lean on his mom.

After a 10-point loss to Washington in November 2023, Caleb ran over to his family in the stands and was overcome with emotion. Dayna showed her support by being a shoulder to cry on and comforting him.

The personal moment sparked conversation on social media, and the quarterback addressed the chatter a few days later in an Instagram post.

“Being an advocate for mental health, and trying to show your emotions and express yourself - it's something that I've been doing since I was young, and now on a national level being able to try and share that awareness with the public,” he wrote. “Me doing just what I did on Saturday, even though it was far from what I was trying to do, it showed and spread that kind of awareness.”

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