College teammates getting drafted together in the first round of the NFL Draft is certainly nothing new. Last season, for example, saw teammates Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. come off the board within the first three selections, Ohio State teammates C.J. Stroud and Paris Johnson Jr. within the top ten, and Clemson defenders Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee with back-to-back picks at No. 28 and No. 29, respectively.
Caleb Williams and Olu Fashanu’s NFL journey started at Gonzaga College High School
Before becoming first-round NFL selections, Caleb Williams and Olu Fashanu were high school teammates
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
But high school teammates?
That is a much different story, but it is the story that Caleb Williams and Olumuyiwa Fashanu have written tonight.
Williams and Fashanu were teammates at Gonzaga College High School, a school located in the heart of Washington, D.C. and blocks away from the U.S. Capitol. Fashanu arrived on campus for the 2016-2017 school year having never played football before, but was convinced by a classmate to try out for the football team that season. He started out on the defensive line — needing to learn the basic such as a three-point stance — and after a successful freshman year switched to the other side of the football.
To help block for Williams.
During the 2017 season Williams started at quarterback for Gonzaga as a freshman, while Fashanu was a reserve offensive lineman. But both were in the starting lineup the following year, when Gonzaga made it to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Championship Game for the first time since 2003. In that game against DeMatha Catholic, often termed the “greatest game ever played” in the D.C. area, Gonzaga overcame an early 20-0 deficit to win on a last-second, 53-yard Hail Mary.
In that game Williams accounting for all seven Gonzaga touchdowns, throwing three, running three, and catching one.
Their last year together at Gonzaga was the 2019 season, when Williams again was the team’s starting quarterback while Fashanu started at left tackle. That is when they went their separate ways, with Fashanu heading to Penn State and Williams returning to Gonzaga for a final season before he enrolled at Oklahoma.
But now their journey reunites them in the NFL, with Williams headed to the Chicago Bears and Fashanu to the New York Jets. Williams was the first-overall selection, while Fashanu came off the board at No. 10.
According to the school, this is the first time in NFL history high school teammates were drafted in the top 15, and “only a handful of high schools have ever had two alumni selected in the first round of the same year.”
(Interestingly enough, a second pair of high school teammates could join them later tonight, as Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Alabama cornerback Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry were teammates at Pinson Valley High School in Alabama.)
For those that saw Williams and Fashanu during those formative years, they could not be prouder.
“While at Gonzaga, Caleb made magic happen, combining an exceptionally strong and accurate arm with swift and elusive feet. However, many of Caleb’s magical moments would not have been possible without Olu’s explosive power, physicality, agility and technical skill – all of which protected and paved the way for Caleb to dazzle the crowd,” said Gonzaga head coach Randy Trivers in a statement to the media, including SB Nation.
“We are immensely proud of these two Gonzaga men. They have adorned certain colors as collegiate competitors and now will represent a new city, proudly waving their flag displaying those colors,” added Trivers. “I’m certain, however, that they will continue to have a touch of Gonzaga purple in their hearts as they lovingly and faithfully embrace their new franchises and fans.”
Terry Kernan, Jr., who coached Fashanu on the freshman team at Gonzaga and also served as a math teacher, also praised the two former Gonzaga athletes.
“As one of Olu’s Freshman Football coaches and one of Caleb’s math teachers, I had the privilege of getting to know both young men as students here. Hardworking, conscientious leaders, they have set an extraordinary example for our current students to emulate – and their work in the community as “men for others” is just as impressive as their success on the field,” said Kernan. “As a Gonzaga alumnus, I couldn’t be more proud that these two outstanding young men represent our school in such a positive way. On behalf of all the coaches of the Gonzaga Athletic Department, congratulations Caleb and Olu! You will both forever be Gonzaga Eagles!”
The two former Eagles may soon have another teammate join them in the NFL. Safety Jordan Colbert started his career at Columbia and was an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention selection in 2021 before transferring to Rhode Island. This past season Colbert racked up 57 tackles, 3 TFLs, a half-sack, a pair of interceptions, and five PBUs at Rhode Island as a grad transfer student. Colbert is anticipated to be a late-round selection.
See More:
