USC Trojans poach 4-star QB from Oregon

Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans poached a four-star quarterback from the Oregon Ducks.

Quarterback Jonas Williams announced his decision to flip his commitment from the Ducks to the Trojans on Friday. He explained why he made the move to On3’s Steve Wiltfong.

“My favorite things that excite me are the relationships I’ve built with Coach Riley, (Luke) Huard, and the GM Chad Bowden. That was an important factor for me and knowing that this offense will fit my playing style is reassuring,” Williams said.

“Coach Riley, he is the driving factor in my recruitment. Also what they did with the ’25 class and what they’re doing with the ’26 class is pretty intriguing.”

In his junior season, Williams guided Lincoln Way-East to a 12-1 record. He completed 68% of his passes for nearly 3,000 yards and 42 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He added 400 rushing yards and seven more scores.

USC Trojans continue to retool ahead of 2025 season

It’s a solid pickup for the USC Trojans by landing Jonas Williams from the Oregon Ducks.

Williams highlights himself as a talented four-star recruit in the Class of 2026. On 247Sports, he is ranked the fifth-best player from the state of Illinois, the 13th-best player at his position and 190th in the country.

“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,” 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins said.

“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.”

USC had a decent showing in the 2024 season. They went 7-6 overall, going 4-5 in their conference matchups. They appeared in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, becoming champions after beating the Texas A&M Aggies 35-31.

The Trojans will continue to add more pieces in the 2026 recruiting class while they prepare for spring football.