Illinois Football: Isaiah Williams off to another great start for the Illini

Quick, illusive, dangerous, and explosive, are all adjectives I would use to describe Illinois football wide receiver Isaiah Williams.

Williams was one of the highest-rated recruits coming out of the class of 2019. He was also one of the highest-rated recruits the Illini have ever snagged, checking in as the No. 9 best player Illinois has pulled in since 247Sports started in roughly 2003.

I still believe Williams would have been electric as a quarterback for the Orange and Blue. He would have been a nightmare for opposing defenses. But I also think the move to wide receiver last season was probably the best option for him in the macro. Catching passes is probably a better career move than throwing them.

Through a season and two games, Williams has proved to be a great asset as a wide receiver. The adjectives to describe him above are just a few of the words that fit into what Williams brings to the football field. I would also like to sprinkle in dynamic and menace as well.

Isaiah Williams is off to another hot start for the Illinois football team.

In 2021, Williams was moved from quarterback to wide receiver in what was a great adjustment. He instantly became one of Illinois’ best playmakers and the numbers show that fact.

Through the first two games of the 2021 campaign, Williams would have 14 receptions for 142 yards. This season, he has started the year in a similar fashion, going for 16 receptions for 138 yards. Both of these starts are quite impressive.

To expand on those numbers, I took a look at every wide receiver over the past decade for the Illinois football program. I wanted to see who led the program in receiving after the first two games of each season.

Over the last 10 seasons, there have only been 13 occasions where an Illinois player has gone over 100 yards receiving, and Williams accounts for two of those 13 occasions. On top of Williams having two of the top 13 performances through two games, he also owns two of the top five receiving yardage totals over the past 10 seasons.

Williams’ 142 yards last season ranks No. 3 and his 138 yards this season ranks No. 5 among all pass catchers Illinois has had over the past 10 seasons. Geronimo Allison owns two of the other three and running back Josh Ferguson owns the other spot.

I would like to add, that Williams’ numbers are against a Big Ten opponent and another DI program. Most of the players who have had over 100 yards in the first two games have played an FCS program and a MAC program. So, the competition wasn’t exactly equal.

While the yardage Williams has put up through two games each of the last two seasons is impressive, his catching ability is what really stands out.

Williams has 16 catches through two games this season, which is the most catches through two games by any Illinois player over the past 10 seasons. Who is No. 2 on this list? It is also Williams. In 2021, Williams had 14 catches and takes the No. 2 spot. No. 3 on the list is Ricky Smalling in 2019 when he had 11 receptions through two games.

So, not only does Williams have two of the top five spots when it comes to yardage, but he owns the top two spots in receptions. Illinois has a special player on their hands with Williams. He has a chance to do some amazing things with the Illini. Let’s see how the rest of the season plays out. I would argue Williams is the best wide receiver we have had in the past decade.