Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) dominant early behind USC QB commit Jonas Williams

Jonas Williams has been one of the top quarterbacks in the Midwest for multiple years now. In his senior season at Lincoln-Way East (Ill.), the USC Trojans commit is off to a blazing start.

Leading the Griffons to a 4-0 record thus far, Williams has completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 1,192 yards and 16 touchdowns. Last time out in a 49-14 drubbing of Lockport Township, he hurled for 345 yards and five scores.

Williams can hurt you on the feet if he needs to as well, but that’s not been necessary through the first chunk of his senior campaign. He did notch 400 rushing yards and seven scores as a junior last fall, adding to a season that also featured 42 passing TDs and nearly 3,000 yards through the air.

Lincoln-Way East is looking to get back to the top of the mountain this season. It won each of its first 12 games in 2024, but stumbled at the finish line and suffered a crushing 27-24 loss to Loyola Academy in the IHSA 8A state title game.

The Griffons made a serious statement in their season-opener on Aug. 29, as they smoked Maine South, a top-10 team in Illinois, 40-0. Their defense didn’t allow a point until the third game of the season and have allowed just 21 total points through four games.

It’ll take an upset to spoil another perfect regular season for the program in Frankfort, too. Lincoln-Way East is favored to win each of its remaining matchups, only two of which are set to come against ranked opponents. It enters this week as the top-ranked team in Illinois and the No. 42 team nationally, according to the Massey Ratings.

Williams will be at the center of it all. He is now the No. 143 overall prospect, No. 9 QB and No. 2 recruit in Illinois in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies.

The Elite 11 Finalist flipped from Oregon to USC back in February and remains in the fold for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans. USC maintains the top spot in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, as of Sept. 24.

“Coach Riley, he is the driving factor in the my recruitment,” Williams told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong ahead of his decision. “Also what they did with the ’25 class and what they’re doing with the ’26 class is pretty intriguing.”

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