USC Trojans Quarterback Commit Jonas Williams Explains Impact of NIL on Recruiting

Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback Jonas Williams is committed to the USC Trojans, and he recently spoke about the impact that Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has played in his recruiting process, flipping from the Oregon Ducks to USC.

Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

NIL has been a hot topic in recent weeks, and the truth is, it always will be in this day and age in college athletics. Name, image and likeness is still in its early stages and with no guardrails around it, everyone is still navigating, as it plays a major factor in recruiting.

Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback and USC Trojans commit Jonas Williams competed in the Elite 11 Nashville over the weekend and talked about how much influence NIL has had on his recruitment. 

“NIL is a factor in any decision, but I feel like that’s not the main decision for me,” Williams told On3. “I don’t like to put my numbers out there, but it’s obviously a factor in today’s age. I have an agent, and my parents handle it. I stay away from that just because I’m a 16-year-old.”

Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Trojans began gaining momentum for Williams after he was on campus for Junior Day in early February. He spent an extensive amount of time with USC coach Lincoln Riley. The Illinois native then flipped his commitment from Oregon to USC later that month. 

Trojans general manager Chad Bowden built a strong relationship with Williams from his time at Notre Dame. That carried over when Bowden was hired by USC in January. 

Other schools continue to pursue the No. 8 ranked quarterback in the On3 Industry Rankings, some even offering him the opportunity to start earning in high school as part of their recruiting pitch, but Williams is “pretty locked in” with the Trojans.

Williams was on campus this spring for a few days and will return for his official visit to USC the weekend of June 13. 

Williams is one of the crown jewels of the Trojans No. 1 ranked recruiting class. USC has built an impressive recruiting class around him on offense. 

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The Trojans hold a commitment from a pair of blue-chip running backs in Oaks Christian (Calif.) four-star Deshonne Redeaux and Harvey (Ohio) four-star Shahn Alston. 

Sierra Canyon (Calif.) three-star receiver Ja’Myron Baker was Riley’s first commitment of the Trojans 2026 class. USC landed Santa Margarita (Calif.) four-star receiver Trent Mosley in March and then Waxahachie (Texas) three-star receiver Kohen Brown earlier this month. 

The Trojans have had a run on offensive lineman over the last couple of months, landing commitments from Corner Canyon (Utah) four-star Esun Tafa, Folsom (Calif.) four-star Vlad Dyakonov, Valor Christian (Colo.) four-star Kannon Smith, St. Francis (Calif.) three-star John Fifita and Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) three-star Chase Deniz. 

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

USC remains in hot pursuit of pair of Mater Dei (Calif.) pass catchers in five-star tight end Mark Bowman and four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Bowman returned to campus this past weekend and Dixon-Wyatt has been on campus a couple of time this spring. Both will take official visits in the summer. Williams has been pushing to keep the local recruits in Southern California.

St. John Bosco (Calif.) four-star receiver and Texas A&M commit Madden Williams has become a priority target for the Trojans. Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame four-star receiver Luc Weaver picked up an offer last week and USC has immediately become the favorites to land him. The Trojans are trending to land Servite (Calif.) three-star tight end Luke Sorensen.

Loading up on the offensive lineman has been a point of emphasis in the 2026 cycle. USC is trending for several lineman, including IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star Keenyi Pepe, Kamehameha (Hawaii) four-star Malakai Lee and Orange Lutheran (Calif.) four-star Samuel Utu.

Official visit season is upon us and as the weather begins to heat up, so will recruiting over the next few months.