NIL Opportunities

2022 All-Big Ten

2023 Junior

Athlon Preseason All-Big Ten first team wide receiver
Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten first team wide receiver
Athon Preseason All-Big Ten third team punt returner
Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten third team punt returner
No. 22 ranked player in the Big Ten in 247's preseason player rankings

2022 Sophomore

Team captain
All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches and media)
Academic All-Big Ten
Illinois’ Howard Griffith Impact Player Award winner
Started all 13 games at wide receiver
82 receptions for 715 yards and five touchdowns on the season
Led Illinois in receptions (82), receiving yards (715), and receiving touchdowns (5)
Three or more receptions in all 13 games and at least one catch in all 25 games over the last two seasons
16 punt returns for 120 yards on the season
25th in the nation and led the Big Ten in yards per punt return (7.5)
Ranked in the top 10 in the Big Ten in receptions per game (2nd, 6.3), receiving yards (7th, 715), receiving touchdowns (10th, 5), and receiving yards per game (10th, 55)
Second in the nation in yards after catch (683), according to PFF
15th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in receptions per game (6.3)
Seventh in the Big Ten in first down receptions (35)
Second on the team in all-purpose yards (840)
Career highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (120) in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Mississippi State 1/2/23
Career-high two touchdown receptions against Michigan State 11/5/22
Career-long 63-yard reception against Chattanooga 9/22/22
Career-long 24-yard punt returns against Virginia 9/10/22 and at Nebraska 10/29/22
Nine receptions for 112 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season at Indiana 9/2/22
PFF National Team of the Week following the Indiana game after leading the nation in forced missed tackles (9), according to PFF

2021 Redshirt Freshman

Academic All-Big Ten
47 receptions for 525 yards and four receiving touchdowns
Also ran for 61 yards and two touchdowns on the season
Led Illinois in receptions (47) and receiving yards (525)
Third in the nation among Power-5 freshmen in receptions (47), behind only Texas’ Xavier Worthy (62) and Georgia’s Brock Bowers (56)
Tied for the team lead with five touchdowns (4 receiving, 1 rushing)
Tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns (4)
13th in the Big Ten in receptions (47)
14th in the Big Ten in receptions per game (3.9)
20th in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game (43.8)
Career highs in receptions (8) and receiving yards (101) against UTSA 9/4/21
Illinois team offensive MVP against Nebraska 8/28/21
Switched to wide receiver for the final two spring practices in 2021

2020 Redshirt Freshman

Played in five games and started four at quarterback
26-for-63 passing for 393 yards, four touchdowns on the season
63 carries for 389 yards and one touchdown on the season
Finished the season with the 389 rushing yards, the ninth most in a season by a quarterback in school history.
Finished the season No. 10 in career rushing yards by a QB with 405 rushing yards
Set the Illinois single-game rushing record by a quarterback with 192 yards in his first career start at Rutgers 11/14/20
Rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries against Penn State 12/19/20

2019 Freshman

Played in four games and redshirted the season
3-of-10 passing for 38 yards, nine carries for 16 yards, and three receptions for nine yards on the season
Played wide receiver for the first time during the Redbox Bowl and had three receptions for nine yards
Made Illinois debut against Nebraska 9/21/19 on two designed quarterback run plays

High School

Four-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN
Ranked No. 47 recruit in the nation by Rivals, No. 93 by ESPN and No. 295 by 247Sports
Ranked No. 5 athlete in the nation by 247Sports, No. 8 by ESPN and No. 16 by Rivals
Ranked No. 1 recruit in Missouri by Rivals and ESPN and No. 5 by 247Sports
No. 9 ranked recruit in Illinois’ last 17 years according to 247Sports
Williams and Marquez Beason are Illinois’ two highest ranked recruits since Terry Hawthorne in 2009 and the highest combo since Arrelious Benn and Martez Wilson in 2007
Illinois’ highest ranked quarterback recruit since Juice Williams in 2006
Ranked as high as No. 25 overall recruit in the nation in February 2018 according to 247Sports Composite
Played for head coach Cory Patterson through his junior year when Patterson left Trinity Catholic to become the tight ends coach at Illinois
Played for head coach Terrence Curry at Trinity Catholic as a senior
2019 Under Armour All-American selection
2018 Elite 11 Finals invitation
2018 and 2019 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year
2018 USA TODAY Missouri Offensive Player of the Year
2018 USA TODAY All-USA Missouri first team
2018 Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 3 All-State first team
2,470 passing yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior
1,132 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior
1,898 passing yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior
Threw for 175 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 23 yards in the 2018 Missouri Class 4 state title game to help Trinity Catholic beat Cardinal Ritter
Also played basketball and ran track at Trinity Catholic
Verbally committed to Illinois in March 2018
Offers included Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF, Virginia, and Wisconsin

Personal

Born Jan. 29, 2001
Son of Ashley Harris and Wendell Williams
One brother, Wendell Williams Jr., and two sisters, Zariyah Martin and Keira Williams
Nicknamed “1”
Has worn No. 1 since he started playing sports
Picked Illinois because it is a, “prestigious university and family oriented.”
Plans to open a training facility following his playing career
Majoring in recreation, sport, and tourism

Isaiah Williams