No. 7 Juice Williams
Juice Williams could have easily been higher on this list if the arm talent was most consistent. He still checks in as one of the best quarterbacks to ever come through the program, though.
Coming out of Chicago Vocational High School, Williams was one of the top recruits in the country. He was a four-star recruit who was ranked inside the top 100 nationally. Ron Zook and the Illini were able to pull him in and keep him home.
This decision was great for Williams, as he was an immediate sensation for the Illini. As a sophomore, Williams helped lead Illinois to a 9-3 regular season record. This great run, which saw the Illini get as high as No. 13 in the country, included a massive upset win over No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus.
Williams was a big part of that win as well. He had four touchdown passes in that game and 70 yards on the ground. The most important aspect of his game in the upset win was his legs on the final drive. He was able to covert a huge fourth down in our territory and multiple third downs to keep the drive going.
Illinois managed to get to the Rose Bowl that season and came up short against USC. That Illini team will never be forgotten, though. They were the last Rose Bowl unit for the Orange and Blue.
For his career, Williams finished his time in Champaign with 8,037 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 44 interceptions through the air. In addition to his passing, he also had 2,557 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. His 10,594 total yards is second in the history of the Illinois football program.
If Williams was a little better as a passer and the final two seasons weren't steps down from that Rose Bowl run, then he would have easily been higher on this list. But No. 7 felt like the right spot for Williams among the all-time great quarterbacks in program history.