Defenseman Jonas Williams doesn’t get the credit he deserves

The first thing I will tell you is: believe the advertising. Only if they were.

Well, technically they are, if “some” falls within the definition of “almost none.” And only if “almost none” means “not enough.”

If you haven’t heard the name or are not deeply immersed in the Illinois high school football scene, reading the name Jonas Williams may take you by surprise and confuse you. Which shouldn’t be the case for a player who is not only at the top of many Illinois Player of the Year lists, but is also the quarterback of the No. 1 team in the state, the Lincoln-Way East Griffins, who, heading into a rematch of their opponents, remain undefeated.

Still a junior, Williams has already signed with the current No. 1 CFB team in the country, the Oregon Ducks, after next season and is the nation’s No. 8-ranked quarterback in the 2026 class by 247Sports.com.

No hype. The Class 8A state semifinal against Loyola Academy on Saturday officially became his all-inclusive coming-out party.

On a field that just became an integral part of his life this season when he transferred to Lincoln-Way East from Bolingbrook, this will be the fourth straight time the schools have faced each other in the 8A playoffs (sixth time in last seven 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. 1. Loyola was the destruction team responsible for ending LWE’s fourth season in the last five years. So to simply say that this is an official rivalry would be an understatement, as well as a disservice to the recent legacy they have built between themselves. And to simply say that this semi-final will not be mega would be disrespectful to school football.

Maybe it’s the box braids that don’t match the 3.9 GPA that don’t match the arm, or the accuracy that doesn’t match the quarterback’s future, that doesn’t match the trajectory, that doesn’t match the pedigree that matches the description. but does not correspond to the perceived perception.

Perhaps running a quarterback at the high school level in a state that has almost no history of producing legendary high school quarterbacks shouldn’t market itself as such. A player who transfers from one suburban school to another, even after throwing for an insane amount of nearly 6,000 yards and 70 touchdowns in his first two seasons as a freshman and sophomore, should not be entering the 8A state semifinals with an 11-0 record. and first place in the state rankings. Perhaps it’s the dual threat, the fact that he’s not the typical pocket quarterback that most state championship-caliber schools build their teams around, even though he’s good enough to be the top recruit at the position in an NCAA Power Four program .

A player who is now, even before his senior season heading into Saturday’s career-defining game, the highest-rated Illinois high school QB recruit in the last 18 years since CVS’s Isaiah Williams was considered by 247Sports. .com will be the second-ranked player in the state. Additionally, no other Illinois QB has even been ranked in ESPN’s top 10 recruits in the state since Springfield’s Rashad Rochelle in 2022, and there hasn’t been a four-star rated QB here since Lyons Township’s Ben Bryant in 2018.

Locally, it deserves some Ashton Ginty-type hype. But no.

Fear of the Planet of Love by CJ Stroud and Jordan. Triplets in appearance, character and acting. “Got Next” comes straight from Frankfurt. The future is shocking, as if the Bears didn’t extend his contract, pick up a fifth-year option, or make a clear decision on Caleb Williams by 2029; right now we could be looking at a player who could one day be for them what Jalen Brunson should have been for the Bulls, coming straight out of Lincolnshire.

May be . . . no, why go there? Sorry, I already did that.

The secrecy about how Williams developed and functioned is almost alarming. Very similar to Brunson in 2015. The latest phenom from Illinois is hidden in plain sight and we’re still waiting to emerge despite all the evidence.

Lord Corlys Velaryon said in House of the Dragon: “Our worth is uncertain; it must be done.”

Whether entering space invited or uninvited, Williams alerted the entire IHSA throughout the season to the true meaning of his arrival. Not enough attention paid. So there is still work to be done and still worth doing.

Several mentions on On SI, two on Rivals.com, five in the Tribune, one in USA Today, a few here in the Sun-Times, including a July (preseason) article. Perhaps I’m asking too much. But when a high school football player’s LinkedIn football profile fills out like his Williams profile, especially in this Era of the Era of the QB, you’d think — hope it, want to believe it — the cry from the mountaintop for this kid would be a little louder.