SEE IT: Gonzaga High watch party goes wild as alumnus Caleb Williams wins Heisman Trophy

NEW YORK, N.Y. (AP) — Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams, a D.C. native and Gonzaga High School graduate, has won college football's most prestigious award: the Heisman Trophy.

Williams beat out Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, TCU quarterback Max Duggan, and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Williams received 544 first-place votes and 2,031 points to easily outpoint TCU quarterback Max Duggan (1,420).

Ohio State's C.J. Stroud was third in the voting after coming in fourth last season. Georgia quarterback Stetson finished fourth. The top-ranked Bulldogs will face Stroud and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31.

Duggan and the third-ranked Horned Frogs will play No. 2 Michigan in the other CFP semifinal on New Year's Eve.

BEFORE THE FAME | Athlete of the Week: Gonzaga High's Caleb Williams

Williams and No. 8 USC fell short of the Pac-12 championship and a spot in the playoff, but it was still a rebirth for a college football blue-blood that has had only short spurts of success over the last decade.

The last time USC had a Heisman winner was 2005, when running back Reggie Bush was the second of consecutive Trojans players to win the award. Matt Leinart won the Heisman in 2004 on the way to a national championship.

Bush's Heisman win, the Trojans' seventh, was later vacated for NCAA violations that began the descent of USC.

Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma each have seven Heisman victories.

Williams was recently named the Associated Press college football player of the year, becoming the school's first winner of the award since 2005 with his stellar debut season for the Trojans.