Freshman quarterback for USC. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 220 lb · Chicago, IL · Lincoln-Way East HS
The numbers
passing yards · 2026
1 INT · 9 per attempt
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 63 pass yds, vs Fresno State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
1 quarterback for USC. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Buzz vs Tape
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 33.7 points in belief.
Is Lincoln Riley’s “quarterback whisperer” reputation fading as USC football faces a recruiting crossroads? With no quarterback commits for the 2027 cycle and limited activity for 2028, speculation swirls about a new transfer-focused…
Jonas Williams
The receipt: 63 pass yds against Fresno State — Week 1, 2026.
126 PASS YDS · 0 PASS TD · 3 RUSH YDS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
Career arc
Season context · Team result + system
Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Elite: completion % (100th percentile). Strength: yards / att (92nd percentile). Concern: pass yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 42.0 | 0.0 | 8.8 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | TD/g | YPA | INT/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 42.0 | 0.0 | 8.8 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
46.0%
97 pass / 114 run
Plays / game
70.3
3 games
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
Our Heisman model has him inside the top 25; he is not on a published award watch list yet.
| Season | Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | USC | 12 | 14 | 85.7% | 126 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 147.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 12 | 14 | 85.7% | 126 | 9.0 | 0 | 1 | 147.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | USC | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0 | -- |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 49–30
vs Louisiana
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CMP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | YPA | QBR | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-26vs San José State | 5/7 | 55 | 0 | 1 | 7.9 | 49.8 | Season-high 63 yds |
| Wk 1 | W 39-0vs Fresno State | 6/6 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 | 84.7 | Season-high 63 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 49-30vs Louisiana | 1/1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | — | |
| Total | 12/14 | 126 | 0 | 1 | 8.8 | 67.2 |
2026 Outlook
USC
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Quarterback · USC
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
USC · Last season: 9-4 (AP #16) · Talent rank #9 · 2026 recruiting class #1
2026: Williams, who enrolled at USC in the spring of 2026 after graduating a semester early from high school, looks to compete for playing time at quarterback as a true freshman in 2026. HIGH SCHOOL: Williams, a four-star recruit, was ranked as the No. 118 player in the nation by 247Sports, No. 1...