Jamen Williams roots for the Chicago Bears. Growing up, however, the Fenwick senior quarterback couldn’t help but admire Aaron Rodgers.

Williams, who coincidentally wound up wearing the No. 12 throughout his varsity career at Fenwick, has played quarterback since his father Jamen Sr. signed him up for football in second grade. While Rodgers fandom may have drawn a raised eyebrow of his father, Williams grew up watching and learning from many of the NFL’s top quarterbacks.

“There was one point in time where I really liked Rodgers,” Williams said. “My dad hated it, but I watched a lot of Aaron Rodgers and I watched a lot of Drew Brees. Drew Brees is my favorite quarterback of all time. Now, I watch a lot of Lamar Jackson and Bryce Young.”

Showing an accurate deep ball and a Rodgers-like soft flick of his wrist on shorter throws, Williams shined during his senior season with the Friars. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound quarterback threw for 2,484 yards and 26 touchdowns with just two interceptions, guiding Fenwick to an 11-3 record and the 2025 Class 6A state championship.

Now, Williams will take his talents to the Division II level after signing to continue his football career at the University of Indianapolis. While Williams had offers from other programs, those offers came with the caveat that he switch positions. But UIndy, which started recruiting him as a junior, will allow Williams to continue playing quarterback.

“It means a lot,” said Williams, who has been honing his skills at QB Era in Glen Ellyn. “I’ve been training a lot. When I got hurt during the last game of the season last year, it hit me hard. Coming back and training every Saturday helped me get back in my groove. That ended up allowing me to play quarterback and I’m very grateful for that.”

Williams, who also rushed for nine touchdowns, earned All-CCL/ESCC honors and was named the CCL/ESCC White’s Offensive Player of the Year. It was a rewarding season for Williams, who suffered a serious ankle injury at the end of his junior year and underwent surgery over the offseason. A combination of physical therapy and support from his father enabled Williams to return fully healthy for his senior year.

“I’m always going to remember it,” Williams said. “We had about 50 guys on the team our freshman year. I played with a lot of those guys in eighth grade and winning it all our senior year was big... Being hurt last year, I wanted revenge when I came back. Last year, I felt like I could’ve done more. I did all I could this year and it feels amazing.”

Williams, who guided Fenwick past national powerhouse East St. Louis in the 6A state championship game, was a hero when the Friars beat three-time defending 5A champion Nazareth in the semifinal round. Williams, who threw for 283 yards in the game, ran for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and threw a touchdown pass in overtime. The Friars then made a stop on a 2-point conversion to win 28-27.

“It wasn’t a surprise to any of the coaches because we saw the work he put in, how he carried himself at school and how he always strived to become better and maximize his abilities,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “His senior year, we saw a lot of improvement with his deep ball and the touch he put on those deep balls... He was able to deliver different balls depending on the situation or the defense.”

Williams is one of multiple Fenwick athletes who finalized pledges to play college football during the National Signing Day period early last month. Wide receiver Raphiel Stewart, who caught 33 passes for 700 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025, will play Division I football for Valparaiso. Stewart was an All-CCL/ESCC Honorable Mention in 2025.

Offensive lineman Logan Schultz signed to continue with Division III Johns Hopkins. Despite missing three games to a concussion and an injured shoulder, Schultz started at left tackle throughout Fenwick’s playoff run. Schultz, an All-CCL/ESCC Honorable Mention in 2025, led an offense that scored 494 points and posted over 4,700 total yards.

Defensive back Aiden Williams also signed with Valparaiso, where he’ll compete with the track and field team. An All-CCL/ESCC selection, Williams finished with 97 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two sacks while adding a pair of forced fumbles during the 2025 season. An outstanding sprinter and hurdler, Williams has top times of 14.73 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 39.86 in the 300 hurdles.

“This is a group of kids who stuck together and played a lot of youth football together,” Battaglia said. “They’ve lost only seven games in the last four years they’ve played high school football. They all might not be All-American types or five-star prospects, but these are true football players. A lot of these kids starting playing their best football as seniors and with where college sports and recruiting have gone, there aren’t many opportunities for those kind of kids these days.”

The Friars had two athletes sign early in December. Noah Sur (K/P) will kick at Northwestern, while Tommy Thies (DB) will play safety at Miami (Ohio). Among Fenwick’s top returning players are Jake Thies and Josh Morgan, a defensive back/wide receiver who’s committed to play baseball at Cincinnati. Morgan recorded 30 total tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and two receiving scores in 2025.