USC quarterback Caleb Williams has revealed that he is “confident” that he will play in the upcoming Cotton Bowl Classic against Tulane.

“I’m doing well,” Williams said during a press conference on Thursday. “Hamstring is doing well. I’m confident that I will be out there.”

Williams came away from the Trojans’ 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game loss to Utah with a notable hamstring injury, which he suffered after a 59-yard run in the first quarter. Even as there was much doubt regarding his availability for the remainder of the contest, Williams willed his way to anchor the USC offense the rest of the way, and he finished with 363 passing yards and three touchdown passes. In the end, Utah prevailed to clinch both the Pac-12 title and a spot in the 2023 Rose Bowl Game.

Over the past weeks, there has been much uncertainty over whether Williams will end up receiving the green light to feature against Tulane. For one, USC head coach Lincoln Riley noted two days after the defeat to the Utes that the versatile quarterback's hamstring ailment is a “significant” one.

“He's got a significant hamstring injury,” Riley said on Dec. 4. “It's good. We're probably not playing in the next two to three weeks. So, we'll try to rehab that. Hamstrings are different for everybody, but the nature of his is pretty severe. If we played in the next couple of weeks, he would most likely not be available. We'll have to see how it progresses. We obviously have hope to have him.

“He's a warrior. He fought through it the other night when a lot of guys really wouldn't. But he's pretty sore, as you would expect. We'll rehab him hard and hope to have him available. If we don't, then we'll have the other guys ready to go.”

In the case that the 2022 Heisman Trophy award winner ends up being sidelined for the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Pac-12 powerhouse is expected to call on backup quarterback Miller Moss to lead the offense in the clash with Tulane.

In the big picture, USC is looking to cap off the season with 12 wins.