Buckeyes Now

4-Star QB Jonas Williams Lists Ohio State Buckeyes In Top Four

The 2026 quarterback prospect from Illinois is down to four schools. Two are in the SEC and two are in the Big Ten. Ohio State is in the mix.

Cole McDaniel

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) wears a sticker for Dwayne Haskins on his helmet during the spring football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on April 16, 2022. Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Game
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) wears a sticker for Dwayne Haskins on his helmet during the spring football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on April 16, 2022. Ncaa Football Ohio State Spring Game / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA
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The Ohio State Buckeyes still find themselves in the mix for four-star quarterback Jonas Williams. The 2026 prospect from Frankfort Heights, Illinois has announced his top four schools and Ohio State joins the Oregon Ducks, LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide. The Big Ten versus SEC battle is full-go.

The 6'3", 205-pound quarterback is currently ranked as No. 8 at his position on 247 Sports and the No. 7 QB with On3. Williams is one of the top prospects from Illinois in the 2026 recruiting class.

In his sophomore year, Williams passed for 2,950 yards and 31 touchdowns with Bolingbrook High School. Although his passing yards went up, his touchdowns actually took a slight drop from his freshman season. In his first year as a high school starting quarterback, Williams threw for 2,737 yards and 37 touchdowns.

After two impressive seasons with Bolingbrook, Williams announced that he decided to transfer to Lincoln-Way East High School. Lincoln-Way East finished as the runner-up in Illinois' Class 8A division the past two seasons.

On the recruiting trail, here is how the four potential landing spots for Williams look. Oregon currently has one quarterback commit in the 2025 class with four-star Akili Smith Jr. from San Diego, California. He is ranked as the composite No. 12 QB on 247 Sports. After Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel wraps up his college career, the position looks to be in the hands of former five-star and UCLA quarterback Dante Moore.

LSU has a current quarterback room of four former four-star prospects and every quarterback is either a junior or younger. In the 2025 class, five-star QB and No. 1 overall prospect Bryce Underwood has been committed to the program since January.

Alabama, like LSU, only has juniors or younger on the roster. Jalen Milroe is once again set to be the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide this coming season. Assuming Milroe leaves for the NFL, the position then likely turns to the hands of current sophomore and former five-star Ty Simpson. There are also two former four-star prospects in the freshman class with Dylan Lonergan and Austin Mack. 2025 five-star quarterback Keelon Russell committed to the Crimson Tide on June 4th. Russell is the composite No. 4 QB on 247 Sports.

Finally, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a quarterback battle on their hands headed into the 2024-25 season. Although the expectation is that Kansas State transfer Will Howard will win the job, former four-star prospect Devin Brown is going to continue to compete and push for that spot. Behind Howard and Brown on the current roster, Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Air Noland are waiting for their opportunity. The safe assumption is that one or two of these quarterbacks may transfer following this season due to a crowded room. Ohio State will also be adding five-star QB Tavien St. Clair in the 2025 class. He is the No. 2 quarterback on 247 Sports.

There will be a lot of factors for Williams to consider when making his decision. Regardless of where he chooses to go between these four schools, he will be surrounded by a ton of talent in each quarterback room.

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Cole McDaniel

COLE MCDANIEL

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