It looks like there's one tradition Caleb Williams will take into the NFL.
Williams, who was selected by the Chicago Bears as the No. 1 draft pick in the 2024 NFL draft, showed up to the draft in Detroit, Michigan, wearing his signature painted nails.
The quarterback, who played for the University of Southern California, showed off his nails on the red carpet of the April 25 draft, telling Cam Newton, “I paint my nails, I wear unique things.”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Williams previously explained in an interview with USC Athletics that his mom has been a nail technician for his entire life, and he started painting his nails during his last year of high school.
“It’s kind of always been around me and nobody else does it. I like to kind of do new things,” he said, adding that the color and style changes every week.
“This is where all the gold comes from.”
Williams won the Heisman Trophy, which is a coveted award given to the most impressive college football player, in 2022. During that season, he had 42 touchdown passes and threw 4,537 yards. He transferred to USC in 2021 after playing at the University of Oklahoma. Williams is originally from Washington, D.C.
He said, prior to the draft, that if he ended up playing for the Chicago Bears, he “can’t wait.”
“All I’ve heard is great things about you all,” he told the media in Detroit on April 24, according to NBC Sports Chicago. “I’m ready to go.”
And he's been ready to go for a long time. He told TODAY's Kaylee Hartung that he's been planning this since he was 12.
“It’s actually becoming a reality being here, being at the draft, possibly being the No. 1 pick. Crazy.”
The NFL draft takes place over the course of three day and will wrap up Saturday, April 27.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
- Meet the Walmart deli employee who’s also a track star hoping to make the Olympic team
- WNBA star A’ja Wilson weighs in on pro basketball gender pay gap: 'It's going to turn'
- How tennis coach Brad Gilbert got the cast of ‘Challengers’ ready to look like professionals in 3 months
