Were you tuning in to watch the USC Trojans in 2023 and wondering why Caleb Williams and his teammates have a No. 12 decal on their helmets?
If so, we've got the explanation for you. And no, it's not because the Pac-12 is coming to an end.
The Trojans are honoring the late Charles White, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back who sadly passed away at the age of 64 in January.
USC helmets in 2023 have a No. 12 decal to honor Charles White
USC has had eight Heisman Trophy winners and White may have the lowest profile of them all. He didn't go on to become an athletic director like Mike Garrett. He didn't have the NFL career Marcus Allen or the infamy of OJ Simpson. And he wasn't a modern winner still in the public eye like Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush (who is a USC Heisman winner regardless of what the NCAA says).
But that doesn't mean the College Football Hall of Fame inductee isn't one of the all-time greats in USC football history. In fact, he owns an impressive Trojan record that is unlikely to ever be broken.
Who was USC Heisman winner Charles White?
White was a two-time unanimous All-American at USC. His freshman rushing record of 744 yards was untouched at USC until Ronald Jones II arrived in 2016.
As a junior, White led USC to a national title, breaking the Pac-10 rushing record as a junior.
No running back in college football had more than White's 1,803 rushing yards when he won the Heisman in 1979. He finished his career by reaffirming that Heisman nod with 247 total yards in the 1980 Rose Bowl. He scored the winning touchdown in that game.
White finished his career with a USC record 5,598 yards, almost 1,000 more than Marcus Allen. Oregon's Rayce Freeman is the only Pac-12 running back with more yards in a career. White sits eighth all-time in NCAA career rushing yards.
