Illinois Football: 6 Illini players who will benefit the most from Bret Bielema
2. QB Isaiah Williams
The 2020 season was the coming-out party for Isaiah Williams. Illinois fans finally got a chance to see what the kid could do, and he impressed for the most part. His 393 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions through the air, along with his 389 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground, was a glimpse of the future.
The Numbers
Honestly, in the passing department, the history for Bret Bielema hasn’t been great. Three times in his career he has had a top-five passing offense in the conference and two of those times it was a top-three passing offense.
But, most of the time, Wisconsin had a passer who was immobile. They didn’t have a quarterback who could roll out the pocket and create plays. There were a few years in there where Coach Bielema did have that luxury.
In 2011, Wisconsin threw for 234.3 yards per game, which ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten. He then had two seasons in the SEC where his Arkansas team was able to sling it around. In 2015 the Razorbacks averaged 268.2 yards per game passing and in 2016 they averaged 264.2 yards per through the air. Both of those seasons ranked No. 3 in the SEC.
Talent Development
The first example of talent development was with Brandon Allen at Arkansas. The year before Coach Bielema arrived, Allen had a 42.9-percent completion rate and threw for 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Coach Bielema then took over and Allen had a great career.
Allen would finish his senior season throwing for 3,440 yards, 30 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He would go on to get picked in the NFL Draft and started five games this season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The most prominent name Coach Bielema helped develop is Russell Wilson.
As a junior at North Carolina State, Wilson had a 58.4-percent completion rate, 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He transferred into Wisconsin where he would finish up his career under Coach Bielema. During Wilson’s senior year, he threw for 3,175 yards, 33 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He had a 72.8-percent completion rate as well. Wilson would get picked in the 2012 NFL Draft. He has made seven Pro Bowl appearances and won a Super Bowl.