NEED TO KNOW
\nCaleb Williams is close with his parents, Carl Williams and Dayna PriceCarl is the owner of a performance training facility and serves as Caleb’s advisorDayna is a nail technician and a constant source of support for the Chicago Bears quarterback<\/p>\n
Caleb Williams’<\/a> parents, Carl Williams and Dayna Price, first cheered him on as a college player, and now, they’re watching him play as a quarterback in the NFL for the Chicago Bears.\n<\/p>\n After winning the coveted Heisman Trophy<\/a> in December 2022, Caleb used his speech<\/a> to thank the village of people who had gotten him to this point, including \u201cthe most important woman in [his] life,” mom Dayna.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThanks for always being my mom first,\u201d he said. \u201cThe woman behind the scenes, who has a smile on her face and is willing to help others. You\u2019re an inspiration to me in many ways.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The crowd chuckled when Caleb turned his attention to \u201cthe old man over there,\u201d referring to his father, Carl.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for showing me the way,\u201d he continued. “It may seem to go unnoticed and appreciated but you mean the world to me. We\u2019re in this together and I wouldn\u2019t want any other way.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Now, Caleb is looking for his first-ever Super Bowl<\/a> win. From laying the foundation for their son\u2019s success to providing constant support, here\u2019s everything to know about Caleb Williams’ parents, Carl Williams and Dayna Price.\n<\/p>\n Caleb’s dad is part owner of a performance training facility <\/p>\n Caleb Williams hugs his father, Carl Williams, during a game against the UCLA Bruins on November 11, 2023.<\/p>\n Ric Tapia\/Getty<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n One of the center\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n \u201cYou instilled a work ethic in me at a young age that I can\u2019t 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.”\n<\/p>\n He added, “You\u2019re always there for me, making sacrifices in your life so I can achieve mine. My dreams, which eventually became our dreams.”\n<\/p>\n Carl created a blueprint for Caleb <\/p>\n Caleb Williams shakes hands with his father Carl Williams after defeating the San Jose State Spartans 56-28 during a NCAA football game on August 26, 2023.<\/p>\n Keith Birmingham\/MediaNews Group\/Pasadena Star-News\/Getty<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 he wanted to be a quarterback.\n<\/p>\n Though Carl was surprised by his son\u2019s 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.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one thing for a kid to say, \u2018You 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,\u2019 \u201d he\u00a0told\u00a0GQ<\/a> in a September 2023 interview. \u201cIt\u2019s another to say, \u2018I want to be the greatest.\u2019 ”\n<\/p>\n Carl added, “He said, \u2018If I\u2019m going to play quarterback, I want to be the greatest quarterback who ever played the game.\u2019 \u201d\n<\/p>\n He also kept track of prospective college programs that would eventually help Caleb reach the national stage of football.\n<\/p>\n Carl is a trusted advisor to Caleb <\/p>\n Caleb Williams with his father celebrates USC Trojans defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during a NCAA football game on November 26, 2022.<\/p>\n Keith Birmingham\/MediaNews Group\/Pasadena Star-News\/Getty<\/p>\n Caleb has had to make a series of tough decisions throughout his life, and his dad has been guiding him every step of the way.\n<\/p>\n 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.\n<\/p>\n Still, Carl was focused on his son\u2019s best interests and helped him seek out a program that would set him up for future success at the next level.\n<\/p>\n \u201cYou go to college to get prepared for your career,\u201d he explained to the Los Angeles Times<\/a> in July 2022. \u201cYou 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n After a month in the transfer portal, Caleb signed with USC.\n<\/p>\n Though Caleb now plays for the Chicago Bears, author Seth Wickersham claimed that Carl was adamant that his son not play for the team in his book American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback. At the time, Carl reportedly said that “Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die<\/a>.”\n<\/p>\n In a May 2025 response to the book’s claims, Caleb told reporters, “I wanted to come here<\/a> and be the guy, be a part or the reason of why the Chicago Bears turn this thing around.”<\/p>\n Dayna used to paint Caleb\u2019s nails <\/p>\n Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears during an NFL game on September 21, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.<\/p>\n Geoff Stellfox\/Getty<\/p>\n Caleb is known for his impressive play on the field, but he\u2019s also gained fame for his signature manicure. The quarterback often paints his nails to send a message to his opponents and sometimes to address social issues.\n<\/p>\n Prior to a Washington State game in 2022, Williams helped spread suicide prevention awareness<\/a> by sporting the phone number of the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on his nails a few days after World Mental Health Day.\n<\/p>\n The unique form of self-expression is also a tribute to Dayna, a nail technician.\n<\/p>\n “My mom was my inspiration,” Caleb shared on Good Morning America<\/a> in February 2022. “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.”\n<\/p>\n Their manicure-fueled bond was at the center of a 2023 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 \u201cI Heart Dr Pepper\u201d manicure to celebrate the soft drink brand\u2019s Strawberries & Cream.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI think the nails thing kind of took everybody by surprise,\u201d Caleb told PEOPLE after filming the commercial. \u201cI’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<\/a>.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Dayna was excited about an opportunity to work with her son.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was a really awesome thing that we were able to do together,\u201d she added. \u201cI 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Dayna is a source of support in tough times <\/p>\n Caleb Williams with his family after the NCAA football game between the USC Trojans and the Washington Huskies on November 4, 2023.<\/p>\n Louis Lopez\/CSM\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Football has provided Caleb with many high points, but there have also been some difficult moments. In those times, he has been able to lean on his mom.\n<\/p>\n 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.\n<\/p>\n The personal moment sparked conversation on social media, and the quarterback addressed the chatter a few days later in an Instagram post<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \u201cBeing 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,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMe 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n