Caleb Williams’ rise from Heisman Trophy winner to Chicago Bears quarterback has been guided by two constant figures: his father, Carl Williams, and his mother, Dayna Price.
At a Glance
- Carl Williams co-owns Athletic Republic Capitol Region and engineered Caleb’s quarterback transformation starting at age 10
- Dayna Price, a nail technician, inspired her son’s signature painted nails that promote mental-health awareness
- Both parents faced the national spotlight when Caleb thanked them in his 2022 Heisman speech
- Why it matters: Their hands-on roles show how family support can shape an NFL-ready prospect
The bond was on full display in December 2022 when Caleb clutched college football’s top individual honor and turned to the audience inside the New York Hilton Midtown.
“Thanks for always being my mom first,” he told Dayna. “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 room laughed when the quarterback shifted focus to “the old man over there,” Carl.
“Thank you for showing me the way,” Caleb continued. “It may seem to go unnoticed and unappreciated, but you mean the world to me. We’re in this together and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Father as Architect
Carl’s real-estate career funds a parallel passion: athletic development. He holds a stake in Athletic Republic Capitol Region, a performance center whose alumni list now boasts his son.
The partnership began when a 10-year-old Caleb, unhappy after a youth-league loss, informed his dad he wanted to control games rather than chase the ball. Carl phoned two coach friends, and together they drew up a plan that included:
- Predawn workouts
- Position-specific quarterback drills
- Recovery treatments
- Long-term tracking of college programs
“It’s one thing for a kid to say, ‘I just want to be the guy in control,'” Carl told GQ in September 2023. “It’s another to say, ‘I want to be the greatest.'”
Caleb chose the second option, declaring, “If I’m going to play quarterback, I want to be the greatest quarterback who ever played the game.”
The training facility became another piece of the blueprint. During his Heisman speech Caleb credited his dad for “opening Athletic Republic so my guys and I could go train,” adding, “You’re always there for me, making sacrifices in your life so I can achieve mine.”
Transfer-Portal Gamble
When Caleb entered the NCAA transfer portal in January 2022 after one season at Oklahoma, social-media backlash followed. Carl filtered the noise and concentrated on professional preparation.
“You go to college to get prepared for your career,” he explained to the Los Angeles Times in July 2022. “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.”
A month later Caleb signed with USC, polishing the skills that would make him the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Mother as Muse
Away from highlight reels, Caleb’s manicured nails have become a personal trademark. The ritual traces back to Dayna’s nail station.
“My mom was my inspiration,” he said on Good Morning America in February 2022. “She’s been doing nails since I could remember. … I [would play] my game … and she’d always do my nails.”
The practice evolved into advocacy. Before a 2022 Washington State matchup, Caleb displayed the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number on his nails days after World Mental Health Day, promoting suicide-prevention awareness.
The mother-son dynamic anchored a 2023 Dr Pepper commercial. In the spot Dayna watches approvingly as Caleb receives a maroon-and-white “I Heart Dr Pepper” manicure celebrating the brand’s Strawberries & Cream flavor.
“I think the nails thing kind of took everybody by surprise,” Caleb told Daniel J. Whitman after filming. “I’ve been doing it before college, but … you don’t always see male athletes who play football paint their nails. But I think it’s just another way of expression.”
Dayna cherished the shared screen time: “I thought it was a really awesome thing that we were able to do together. 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.”
Low Point in Seattle
Football success has never shielded Caleb from disappointment. After USC’s 10-point loss to Washington in November 2023, television cameras captured the quarterback sprinting to the stands and breaking down in front of his family. Dayna wrapped her arms around him as he cried.
The emotional scene triggered social-media commentary, prompting Caleb to post on Instagram:
“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. Me doing just what I did on Saturday … showed and spread that kind of awareness.”
Draft-Day Twist
Seth Wickersham’s book American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback claims Carl initially resisted the idea of Caleb playing for Chicago, allegedly saying, “Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die.”
Caleb dismissed the assertion in May 2025, telling reporters, “I wanted to come here and be the guy, be a part or the reason of why the Chicago Bears turn this thing around.”
Key Takeaways
- Carl blended business acumen with sports science to build an NFL-ready prospect from grade-school ambition
- Dayna turned a nail-care hobby into a platform for mental-health visibility and mother-son branding
- Together they weathered portal exits, Heisman highs, draft scrutiny and NFL expectations while remaining Caleb’s most public support system
