Palatine’s Williams brings the heat to Wisconsin

Palatine High School’s Jaylen Williams is a nightmare for opposing ball carriers, but he’s a softy when it comes to family.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive lineman credits his aunt Jackie Williams for helping him commit to play football for the Wisconsin Badgers.

“She’s like, ‘It’s nothing for us to go up there and see what it’s like and come back,’” said Williams, ranked No. 8 in Illinois’ Class of 2025 by Rivals.com, 16th nationally at strong-side defensive end.

Williams and “Auntie Jackie” made the 2-hour drive to Madison for an official visit on Nov. 15. Five days later, Williams decommitted from Michigan, to whom he had pledged on June 10, and committed to Wisconsin.

The early signing period for NCAA football begins Wednesday. Williams chose Wisconsin from among 28 Division I offers.

Badgers coach Luke Fickel had recruited Williams’ “mentor,” former Palatine receiver Jacob Bostick, now at Texas A&M, while Fickel was coaching at Cincinnati.

“That’s how we got that connection from my sophomore year until now,” Williams said of Wisconsin, where he previously visited twice unofficially, per Rivals.

Connections are important to Williams. His mother, Jennifer, died of thyroid cancer before his freshman year at Palatine. He said his father “was not around.”

Since his mother’s death, Williams has been living in Palatine with his grandparents, Ronald and Linda Moore.

“They are amazing people and I truly love them the most,” Williams said.

Auntie Jackie, too.

“She thinks staying closer was a better decision for me, and so did I,” Williams said.

A first-team selection this season on the Champaign News-Gazette’s prestigious all-state team, Williams said he had 5 sacks, about 15 tackles for loss and 35 tackles overall in Palatine coach Corey Olson’s 3-4 defense. He also played tight end for the 8-2 Pirates, winners of the Mid-Suburban West Conference.

A three-year starter, Williams began playing football as a freshman. He was a 6-4, 280-pound offensive lineman before he switched to defense. Wisconsin targets him as an outside linebacker.

“I love the blocking and everything, but I wanted to be someone who tackles the ball, not necessarily protects it,” he said.

To illustrate that, Williams said that during one visit Wisconsin outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell ran game film of Badgers players alongside Williams’ own video highlights.

“It was like a mirror,” Williams said. “It was like a perfect fit for me, which is another reason why I chose the Badgers.”