USC's Offensive Coordinator Doesn't Hold Back About Freshman Quarterback Jonas Williams

USC coach Lincoln Riley and offensive coordinator Luke Huard have always been very particular on the quarterbacks they offer, never more than a few each cycle.

In the 2026 cycle, they zeroed in on Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, and they were able to flip him from the Oregon Ducks last February.

Jonas Williams Turning Heads Early at USC

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Jonas Williams Recruiting Class Jayden Maiava Recruit Sam Huard Luke Huard Husan Longstreet Big Ten — Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Williams has been on campus for less than two months, but Huard revealed what has stood out to him about the Trojans freshman quarterback so far.

“Very mature. I think that’s the first thing that sticks out,” Huard said. “He’s done a great job attacking all of his responsibilities, whether it’s off the field stuff. Anytime you’re a 17-year-old kid coming to college for the first time, away from home, a lot of stuff to manage. Obviously, football is the fun part but there’s a lot of things they have to learn and responsibilities and time management.

“I think he’s handled everything with a lot of maturity. He’s earning the respect of his teammates. He’s come in here with a very humble attitude, very workmanlike. Was able to develop a good relationship with him here over these last 18 months and he’s somebody that’s always striving to learn more. He’s done a great job absorbing and learning from his teammates.”

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Williams, a four-year starter on varsity, played a ton of football at the high school level. When he made his first start, he was still only 14 years old, so he was forced to grow up fast.

He’s decorated player in Illinois, holding the state record for most passing yards and passing touchdowns. Williams claimed the Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the state of Illinois this past season. Huard has been impressed with Williams’ ability to hit the ground running because of his development at Lincoln-Way East.

“We’ll find a little more in a couple of weeks, certainly in the evaluation process,” Huard said. “Jonas is about 210 pounds. He comes from a really good program. The type of system they ran on offense very multiple. They asked the quarterback to do a lot, but he was also trained in the weight room a lot. He’s a kid that can go in the weight room right now as a freshman and put some weight on the bar and bench and squat and all the different types of things. From a physical standpoint, he’s pretty developed."

Competing for the Backup Quarterback Position

It’s almost the same quarterback situation as last season, except Jayden Maiava has another full season as a starter under his belt. Redshirt senior Sam Huard has another season in the program. The former five-star recruit transferred in last winter and served as the team's No. 3 quarterback.

The biggest difference is former five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet is gone after transferring to LSU during the singular portal window last month.

Williams has the opportunity to step in and have the same role as Longstreet, who saw extended playing time as Maiava’s backup in the Trojans two blowout wins over Group of Five opponents to start the 2025 season.

“He has the ability to utilize his feet and he’s an athletic kid,” Huard. “I don’t use the term dual threat very much, but he certainly falls in that category. I got to watch him play live in a game his junior year. Very accurate, knows where to go with the football, was very decisive.”

Williams has a luxury of being around two quarterbacks that have been around the college game for a number of years. Maiava is entering his fifth season and Huard, his sixth. Having the opportunity to see how they approach the game, from film studies to practice habits and gameday preparation can all have a long-term effect on Williams' growth.