Jonas Williams commits to Oregon; Ducks top Alabama, Ohio State for elite quarterback

Andrew Nemec | Aug 3, 2024

Jonas Williams and his mom pose with Dan Lanning / Courtesy of Jonas WIlliams

Last month, class of 2026 Lincoln-Way East (Illinois) quarterback Jonas Williams announced a top four of Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon.

But the 6-foot-2, 200-pound signal-caller, rated the nation's No. 7 quarterback, wasn't yet 100 percent certain where he wanted to go.

That changed last weekend when Williams visited Oregon for its "Saturday Night Live" camp.

On Saturday, he made it official, committing to the Ducks.

"I’m going to Oregon, because it’s the best fit for me and I trust the coaching staff the most and I picture myself playing in that program," Williams said.

However, the Midwest quarterback actually made things "official" earlier in the week.

"When I went on my visit this past weekend I was reassured that I wanted to be a Duck," Williams said. "It just felt right. I Facetime'd coach (Will) Stein and (Dan) Lanning on Wednesday to let them know."

Stein's presence on that call highlights just how tight the two have grown, a key relationship for landing the bluechip passer.

"The most important relationship is the relationship with coach Stein," Williams said. "Our relationship is really good. I’ve gotten to know him a lot and his family, and I fully trust spending the next four years of my life with him."

Besides his top four, Williams also held notable offers from Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.

And for good reason.

As a freshman and sophomore, Williams threw for a combined 5,933 yards and 70 touchdowns.

ESPN lists him as the nation's No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and Rivals considers him the No. 4 player in the same grouping, but the talented passer provided a more clear example of what type of player he is on the field.

"I like to vision myself playing as prime DeShaun Watson," he said. "I feel like we play similar."

That should be music to Oregon fans' ears.

After all, Watson won a national championship at Clemson in 2016.

Here's how 247Sports sees Williams as a prospect:

"Mobile passer with the arrow pointing up giving his traits and instincts. Put encouraging stretches on tape as both a freshman and sophomore before changing schools in advance of junior season. Type of quarterback that can win with ball placement and has proven to be rather accurate on the move, including on sprint outs. Always a threat to move the chains with his legs and can be effective on designed runs with his quick feet and thicker build, but has also shown the ability to stay on schedule and throw his receivers open from the pocket. In-person evaluations suggest that he’s not afraid to challenge tight coverage windows and will take what a defense gives him at the intermediate level. Should be viewed as the ideal signal caller for a spread attack that wants to challenge defenses with run-pass options. Must keep progressing and improving as a decision maker, but ability to evade pressure with his internal clock and create chances is certainly promising at this stage. Projects as a potential multi-year starter at the Power Four level that could eventually get looks from NFL scouts."