As the 2024 NFL Draft approaches, we look back on the college career arc of Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver and return specialist Isaiah Williams. The narrative of his college career is a bit reminiscent of Aaron Bailey.
Just like Bailey, Williams was a very highly rated quarterback recruit who chose Illinois, instead of one of the blue blood programs who offered him, because the Illini did not expect him to shift to another position.
Basically, choosing to play college ball in Champaign would provide opportunities at the quarterback position that other, better schools would not. Bailey, however, never made the switch to wide receiver, a move that many college football pundits thought would be good not just for the team collectively, but for Bailey individually.
However, the Bolingbrook product never made the position switch, did next to nothing at U of I and then opted to transfer out. He never really had much of a college football career.
Williams meanwhile took the polar opposite approach.
“Since I’ve taken over there’s been some transition obviously in the quarterback room with BP, Brandon Peters, getting the majority of the workload during the spring with Isaiah Williams,” said Bret Bielema as he entered his first season in charge of the Illinois program.
“Isaiah switched to wide receiver after the conclusion of spring ball.
“It’s been a great asset for us. So I think that simple transition right there made us better at the wide receiver position by transition from the quarterback.”
Williams set the Illinois single-game rushing record for a quarterback with 192 yards in his first career start against Rutgers in 2019, and finished second on the team in rushing yards that season.
While the St. Louis native impressed with his legs, he just didn’t get it done with this arm, at all.
“I think what we’re getting here is really a five star wide receiver that instantly brings great ball skills,” said Bielema.
“He’s been studying defensive backs the past three, four years, and now he’s playing receiver, so he’s got a built in advantage over other players and it’s just the way he’s wired, extremely talented, extremely competitive, blessed with tremendous skill sets.
Williams left Illinois second on the school list in career receptions with 214. Only College Football Hall of Famer David Williams’ 262 receptions (1983-85) were better.
Additionally, his 2,304 career receiving yards were good seventh all-time in Illini history. And he did all this with one year of eligibility left on the table.
Isaiah Williams finished second in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 1,055 during the regular season (15th nationally), trailing only Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 1,211 receiving yards for Ohio St.
The Trinity Catholic graduate finished second in the Big Ten in first-down receptions with 48, behind only Harrison (51).
Five 100-yard receiving games in 2023 ranked fourth-best in Illinois single-season history, only one short from tying the Illinois record shared by Brandon Lloyd (2001) and Williams (1984, 1985).
He grades out as a day three, round four-to-six type of NFL Draft prospect.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.