The Quarterback Who Deserves More Recognition
A Player Under the Radar
The first thing I’d tell you is: Believe the hype. Only if there was some. Well, technically there is some if “some” falls under the definition of “hardly any.” And only then if “hardly any” constitutes “not enough.”
A Quarterback with a Bright Future
Only a junior, Williams already has committed to play for the current No. 1 CFB team in the nation, the Oregon Ducks, after next season and is 247Sports.com’s eighth-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2026.
No Hype, No Problem
Making the Class 8A state semifinal against Loyola Academy on Saturday officially his compounded coming-out and coming-of-age party. On a field that just became a permanent part of his life this season as he transferred to Lincoln-Way East from Bolingbrook, this will be the fourth consecutive time these schools will face each other in the 8A playoffs (fifth time in the last six seasons), with the Griffins losing to the Ramblers the last two years in the championship game (26-15 in 2023, 13-3 in 2022) before Williams took over as signal-caller.
A Rivalry Born
Loyola has been the ruination squad responsible for putting an end to LWE’s season four of the last five years. So to simply say this is a certified rivalry would be an understatement as well as a disservice to the recent legacy they’ve built between one another. And to just say this semifinal isn’t poised to be mega would be disrespectful to high school football.
The Quarterback Who Deserves More Recognition
Maybe it’s the box braids that don’t fit the 3.9 GPA that doesn’t fit the arm or accuracy that doesn’t fit the future of quarterbacking that doesn’t fit the trajectory that doesn’t fit the pedigree that does fit the description but doesn’t fit the perceived perception.
Leadership at the High School Level
A player who transferred from one suburban school to another, even after insanely throwing for almost 6,000 yards and 70 touchdowns in his first two seasons as a freshman and sophomore, isn’t supposed to be entering the 8A state semifinals with an 11-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in the state. Maybe it’s the dual-threat thing, the fact that he’s not the typical pocket-presence quarterback most state-championship-caliber schools build their teams around despite him being good enough to be a top recruit at that position for a Power Four NCAA program.
A Player with a Bright Future Ahead
A player who sits now, even before his senior season, as the highest-rated Illinois high school recruit at QB in the last 18 years, since Isiah Williams of CVS was considered to be the second-ranked player in the state. Further that into how no other Illinois QB has even been ranked in ESPN’s top-10 state recruits since Springfield’s Rashad Rochelle in 2022, and there hasn’t been a four-star-rated QB from here since Lyons Township’s Ben Bryant in 2018.
A Player with Potential
Locally meriting Ashton Jeanty-type hype. Yet, not. The fear of a C.J. Stroud/Jordan Love planet. Triplets in looks, personality, and play. A “Got Next” one coming straight outta Frankfort. Future shockin’ like if the Bears haven’t made an extension, picked up the fifth-year option or made a clear decision on Caleb Williams by 2029; we could be looking right now at the player who could one day be for them what Jalen Brunson should have been for the Bulls coming straight outta Lincolnshire.
The Under-the-Radar Nature of Jonas Williams
Maybe . . . naw, why go there? Forgive, I already did. The under-the-radar nature of how Williams has flowed and functioned can almost be seen as disturbing. Very much like Brunson in 2015. The latest Illinois phenom hidden in plain sight that we are still waiting to prove himself despite all of the proof.
A Call to Action
Lord Corlys Velaryon said on “House of the Dragon”: “Our worth is not given; it must be made.” While entering into an invited or uninvited space, Williams has put all of the IHSA on notice about the true sense of his arrival all season. Not enough paid attention. So there’s still work to be done, still worth to be made.
Conclusion
The several On SI mentions, the two on Rivals.com, five in the Tribune, one in USA Today, the few here in the Sun-Times, including a July (preseason) feature. Maybe I’m asking for too much. But when a high school football player’s football LinkedIn profile is filling up the way Williams is stacking his, especially in this QB Era of Eras, you’d think — hope that, want to believe that — the yell from the mountaintop about this kid would be a little louder.
FAQs
Q: Who is Jonas Williams?
A: Jonas Williams is a junior quarterback who has committed to play for the Oregon Ducks after next season and is 247Sports.com’s eighth-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2026.
Q: What is his current ranking in the state?
A: He is the highest-rated Illinois high school recruit at QB in the last 18 years, since Isiah Williams of CVS was considered to be the second-ranked player in the state.
Q: How many times has he led his team to the 8A state semifinals?
A: This will be the fourth consecutive time he will lead his team to the 8A state semifinals.
