On the same day Jonah Williams qualified for regionals in the 200-meter dash, he played in a district playoff baseball game where he stars as a centerfielder and tops 90 MPH from the mound.

Not bad for the No. 3-rated football recruit in Texas for 2025.

For an athlete that already excels at a high level in two other sports, just how good could he be on the gridiron?

“He’s a sight for sore eyes because he does so many things well, and wants to do them all,” Ball High School football head coach Sheldon Bennight said.

For Williams, playing football and baseball at the collegiate level is most definitely a possibility, a feat that’s taken countless hours of time management and dedication. His decision to play both in college, however, has not been finalized.

“It’s pretty hard balancing both, having to stay consistent in baseball,” Williams said. “It was really hard balancing both, but I just stuck to the plan and followed through with it.”

His talents aren’t entirely a surprise to his coaches. His older brother, Nick, plays professional baseball, in which he made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Philadelphia Phillies. His other older brother, Seth, currently plays baseball at Galveston College.

It made sense that Jonah would follow in their footsteps, and even pass the bar they’ve set before him.

“There’s a pretty common belief between most coaches that the younger brother is always pretty darn good, and that’s because they’ve always been around sports, and they know how it works,” Ball baseball’s head coach Russell Ferrell said. “They understand things and are a little bit ahead of things, and that’s how Jonah has been.”

That’s been the case for Jonah; he’s always been ahead in some way. In baseball, he started in every inning of every game as a freshman.

However, football wasn’t the same, and some of that was only natural for his age and maturity level. Jonah didn’t start his freshman football season, although he did get significant playing time. 

It took his freshman season for Jonah to become really comfortable at the varsity level. And from there, he didn’t look back.

As a sophomore, Jonah totaled 511 all-purpose yards on offense, including 306 on punt returns. He also finished the season with 59 tackles.

He turned it up a notch for his junior season, totaling 1,176 all-purpose yards, including 474 receiving yards, and was awarded all-district defensive MVP.

While the statistics show Jonah’s talents, the way he plays continuously impresses his coaches. In Ball’s lone 5A D1 playoff game last season, Jonah returned an interception 101 yards for a touchdown, and his speed turned the heads of many.

“I swear you could feel the breeze he was running by so fast,” Bennight said. “That’s just what it felt like to see a body that big run that fast. That was something special.”

His speed and athletic ability translates over to the baseball field, where Jonah was also awarded District MVP.

Jonah shines in center field, tracking down fly balls and using his elite body control to make web gem catches. But Ferrell has seen Jonah shine on the mound, which may open yet another window of opportunity at the college level.

“He might be a better pitcher than a center fielder,” Ferrell said. “If you put it in those terms, he’s going to go to college to play football and baseball and then in baseball he’s going to pitch and hit.”

Doing everything is no exaggeration for Jonah. Along with football, baseball and track, he also plays basketball, where his Ball Tornadoes went 23-10 on the season, and 10-2 in district play.

With senior season quickly approaching, Jonah will continue to compete and perform at a high level. Jonah hopes to finish his senior season with 100 tackles and five interceptions.

“Just balling out with my guys one last time, the guys I grew up with,” Williams said. “It’s our last time sharing the same field, so why not give it my all?”

But some big decisions will be made in the process.

The first is where he will be attending college, and as of right now, that remains a simple question with a complex answer. 

Jonah is being recruited by the top college football programs in the country. Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Ohio State and USC are battling hardest for his commitment.

The next question is whether Jonah will play only football, only baseball, or both at the college level. Jonah took official visits to Texas A&M, LSU, USC and Oregon this summer, and all four schools are open to him playing both football and baseball at their respective schools.

When it comes to playing both, Jonah’s supporters are confident that he can do both, and that he has the maturity to do both.

Both Bennight and Ferrell attribute Jonah’s maturity to his competitiveness, and his willingness to manage everything he’s involved in.

“He enjoys the competition part of it so much. He doesn’t think it’s that hard, because he really really loves competition,” Ferrell said. “He’s in the moment, and he’s really focused on what he’s trying to do…he’s really not going to mess around.”

Along with his competitiveness, Jonah’s maturity is a product of his upbringing. With two older brothers playing baseball beyond high school, his parents remained as consistent and steadfast as ever to make sure Jonah had similar opportunities.

His parents have taught him how to be a good teammate and gave him the drive to be the best at anything he’s involved in; two values that will only carry him upward at the collegiate level.

“His parents are really grounded,” Ferrell said. “His dad doesn’t want him to ever miss any baseball to go on a football visit. His dad’s not into that, Jonah’s not into that.” 

Whether it’s his athletic ability, competitiveness or maturity, Jonah’s future is bright in whichever sports he decides to play at the college level. His inner circle knows that, and top college athletic programs realize that. 

Wherever he decides to take his academic and athletic careers, the goal remains the same for Jonah - to be successful in everything he does, and to remain true to himself along the way.

“They’re getting the full package.” Bennight said. “He checks all the boxes; character, discipline, obviously the physical part of it. His upbringing, he’s not going to do anything to hurt your program. He’s going to represent you well and he’s going to be a kid that does the right thing.”