Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Caleb Williams goes in depth on his relationship with Ben Johnson (Hour 4)
18 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: What insights does Caleb Williams share about his relationship with Ben Johnson?
My main message to him was he needs to get out of football for a little bit. He's done a phenomenal job in terms of staying focused all year long. He put a lot of time, a lot of effort. I thought he grew up as a professional. I thought his communication to the coaching staff grew. I thought his communication to his teammates grew.
But we will certainly have a number of points of emphasis that he can dive into when he comes back this springtime.
That was Ben Johnson in his end-of-season press conference talking about Caleb Williams. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. And we've spent a lot of time on a podcast that gave us a lot of time and insight into Caleb Williams. It was his conversation with Max Crosby on the Rush podcast.
And we've been continuing to analyze this because there are just a lot of natural follow-ups and natural answers we're getting out of those two talking as to questions we had during the year.
Shout out to Max Crosby for not only having Caleb Williams on his podcast, but also being able to get a lot of insight from him that I don't think we have gotten to this point. Whether it was him talking about his approach to the season, specific plays, or or even his approach to the offseason and what's up next for him and cheat meals.
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Chapter 2: How has Caleb Williams' communication with coaches evolved?
I found it very fascinating to learn more about how Caleb Williams operates, how he sees things, and ultimately where he's going from here.
Also, does this count as getting away from football as this coach's orders? I feel like it's not. You didn't get away from football for long enough. Caleb Williams is a renaissance man. I need you in another continent doing some stuff.
That was another one of the themes, as I mentioned a couple hours ago during the show, earlier in the show. Caleb talking about me versus me. Part of the battle of Caleb versus Caleb is, like, he knows he needs to get away from football, but he's so hungry to do more.
But he also, I think, detaches well. Like, Caleb isn't the dude going to, like, his friend's house to play Madden to get away from football. He's going to Denmark or something. He's on the cover of GQ. He does cool stuff.
Was that in Denmark, the GQ story and the cover?
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Chapter 3: What are the key points from Caleb Williams' conversation on the Rush podcast?
I'm trying to remember where it was.
Some European country you don't necessarily go to often.
I remember people being upset that he was even over there, you know, living his best life. And I was like, it's the off season. You have to be able to... It's like those people who will complain... When someone's struggling on a team and then they see them live twitching or just on Instagram live, just having a good time. Like they can't have a release.
They hear us. You know, they hear Ian Happ with us. Well, he's too busy talking to you guys. Well, you're also listening to the show, number one. Number two, do you just do your job? Because if you're listening to us from 10 to 2, there's a tiny chance you don't just do your job.
the expectation wink that someone admittedly spends 14 hour days at the facility in season and still finds a way to get eight hours of sleep. That means you're getting up, you're going to work, you're coming home, you're going to bed.
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Chapter 4: How does Caleb Williams balance his football commitments with personal time?
And then when that six month period is over, they are escaping from that for, I think he said two months was the, yeah, two months, uh, Give him his two months. Do whatever you need to do in that two months so that, guess what? You're mentally ready for the next season.
Head coach told us, right? We've seen other clauses in contracts, Kyler Murray, that would lead you to believe that maybe there's a different type of discussion going on.
Did you catch when he said, oh, you know, I like to play other sports? Went right back to the three-point shootout.
He sure did.
When he said that, I was like, yeah, you sure? You'd like to play?
The post he had on his story where he held up his basketball shoes. It said he was hanging them up.
Hanging them up. He could have tied those shoes together, found the nearest electrical line, and just thrown them up.
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Chapter 5: What expectations does Caleb Williams have for the upcoming season?
Like, have his shoes up on the line. Because, yeah, two for 15. Jerski beat you, guy.
I don't even care. You know, I said this on Fox 32 on Sunday night. You know what my accuracy contest is for Caleb Williams? It's fourth and eight to Roma Dunzey with a dude wrapped around your leg. Okay, three-point contest, cool. Whatever.
I think an excellent point was made that if he had... I'm trying to remember who made the point. But if he had been fading away with no time left off one foot, he would have made more shots. Rolling out to the left? Yeah.
100%. This is not pertinent to the conversation, but this is a basketball point I need you to hear.
Chapter 6: How does Ben Johnson's coaching style impact the team dynamics?
Oh, okay.
I don't know how I feel about Luka perfecting the Dirk one-legged fadeaway. He's brought a lot of it to his game recently. And I just... I don't know how I feel about it.
Skinny Luka. It's a new thing.
But have you noticed? Have you noticed how many one-legged fadeaway shots he's taken? I'm like, I know what you're doing, Luka.
D the Key does that.
I know what you're doing.
Every time he releases, he says...
Nico! He cannot replace Dirk for me. He can't.
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Chapter 7: What adjustments is Pete Crow-Armstrong making to improve his swing?
Dirk's got a statue out front. I know what he's doing. All right, that's my random basketball thought for the day. I know you feel me on this.
I hear you.
I really do. It hits me in an emotional place. This should hit you in an emotional place. Enough about me. Caleb Williams talked about the evolution of his relationship with Ben Johnson to Max Crosby. This is worth your time.
Did it take you all a minute to get on the same page? Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's a unique cat. He is.
Chapter 8: What are the predictions for the Cubs this season based on recent changes?
From the outside in, you can tell.
Love him to death, man. But he's a unique cat in the sense of, you know, he's like a... mad scientist that doesn't speak like what he's thinking. And so you're sitting there like, and from my position, cause he's, you know, he's my coach and you know, you know, whatever. And we're going to be here and all that. You try and figure them out.
And you know, I've gotten a lot better with it over time now, you know, all the meetings,
um you know seeing his family and how he is and and things like that and understanding you know when are the areas that you can joke one of the areas that you know it's business time one of the areas that you know and and figuring out you know his his his humor and figuring out because he's a like he'll yeah like he'll crack jokes but they'll be dead like you think he's dead ass serious and so you don't laugh you don't
And then he'll like, you know, he'll, he'll say like, you know, it was a joke. Like y'all can, y'all can laugh. Cause he's, he's always so serious. And, and, and so, you know, our, our relationship has been, it's been, it's been fun to build and grow. And it's, it's going to be fun for these, these next couple of years.
Cause he's, I told, I told, I told Maxis and I was like, yo, he's like, he's like, he's like us. Like he wants, he wants to whoop everybody's ass. Yes. Yeah. And he's, and he's, and he's like a player in a sense. Cause he, he,
he's like he's like he's out there and obviously he knows he's not out there he knows that he's he always tells me he's like you know players make coaches and you know players is you know players are everything you know more than scheme more than anything so i think you know he does a good job of like adapting to his players but um he's like he is like a player he wants to whoop everybody's ass every coach every like every defense every and and and for me i love it because that's
I feel the same way. I'm on the same wavelength. I'm on the same vibe. Like, I want to go out there. I want to, you know, whether it's, you know, we got a good defense, good special team. Like, that doesn't, like, I want that and whatever. I can't control those things. That doesn't, that's not me. But when we go out there, I want to put up 50. If it's a shootout, it's a shootout.
If it's a blowout, it's a blowout. Like, whatever. That's what all of us as a team to do. But, you know, going out there and putting up 50, being the best offense to ever touch the grass is kind of the mindset.
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