CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois football will be one of the first teams to grace the college football stage in 2022 when they debut on Saturday against Wyoming.
And even though things have been rough in the win/loss column in recent years, there's a new vibe in Champaign. And it starts with the man leading the Illini.
Bret Bielema is back for his second season at the helm, and back in the Big 10, where he feels right at home.
And this season, he likes the mindset of his team as they get ready to attempt to improve on a 5-7 record in 2021.
"I like the way our guys mentally approach things. I like the demeanor, the attitude, just basically the way they approach the game. To respect the game. Sometimes I think kids in the recruiting process get a little bit wild with maybe some things that aren't as important as the game and learning it. I like the demeanor of our football team," Bielema said.
However, it hasn't all been easy to start the turnaround in Illinois. Bielema said his biggest challenge has been getting everyone to buy into changes when some have been set in certain ways for a long time.
"I think anytime you come into an organization that has struggled for so long, anytime you come in and people that had been here before are sometimes not open to change. And I'm not gonna just change something just to change. If I'm gonna change something, it's because I think it's something that's gonna help us win," Bielema said. "People rely on comfort, people rely on what they do, people in their jobs and the way they're doing them, sometimes they don't want to change the things we've asked them to do. And I think that's been probably the most frustrating at times, but on the same account, we have a tremendous amount of support from Josh Whitman our AD and our administration to get us where we want to be."
One of the biggest weapons at Bielema's disposal will be St. Louis native quarterback turned wide receiver Isaiah Williams, who is still just a sophomore on paper.
"Football-wise I'm a sophomore, but as far as school goes, I'm going into my senior year. This is crazy. I've got three more years left. But in hindsight, this is like my sophomore year playing receiver," Williams said.
Williams was named a team captain for this season, as voted on by his teammates. It's not an honor he takes lightly.
"Seeing where I came from, freshman year to now and being voted captain, it holds a special place in my heart knowing the guys on this team believe in me," Williams said.
"Isaiah is a very talented player but he's also a very talented mind. He's obviously elected as a captain with the respect and rapport he has with his teammates, it's easy to see why Isaiah has been voted into that position. He's got great leadership traits," Bielema said.
On the field, if you get the ball in his hands, Williams is probably going to make you pay.
In 2021, Williams had 47 receptions for 535 yards and four touchdowns, with a role only expected to grow in 2022. And his expertise as a quarterback has helped him adjust to his new role at wide out.
"Me when I was at quarterback I didn't want a receiver who dropped a lot of passes. Or If I threw a bad pass, they didn't have bad body language. I wanted that guy like, 'I got you bro. You throw anything my way I'm gonna make a play for you.' And I just try to be that guy for whoever the starting quarterback is... If I can put my hands on it I'm gonna make a play for you," Williams said.
"He's special, special, special guy," Williams' roommate and fellow St. Louis area native defensive lineman Keith Randolph Jr. said. "He's a competitor. He competes in everything whether it's rock, paper scissors or a game of one-on-one basketball. But he knows he can't beat me in that. I love that dude He works hard and brings the best of him every day."
Williams and Randolph Jr. are just two of a number of St. Louis area products to head up to Champaign. But they want to get those numbers higher, and know how big of a boost the talent from St. Louis could bring.
"I'd love for the whole STL to come up here. Because it's something special going on right now. And right now it's kind of hard for guys to see. And that's what I try and tell some of the young recruits from STL... It's something you can feel. Nobody else in the world probably knows right now because if you look at the past, 5-7 last year, didn't have winning seasons the years before that, so the normal recruit would be like, 'Why would I go to Illinois?' But it's something special going on around here. And I try to relate that to the St. Louis recruits because I want them to experience this," Williams said.
"I put on for the 618, the 314... Just to put on for them is great. I take pride in it. Not a lot of people get the chance to do what I'm doing and I just take pride in it every day," Randolph Jr., a Belleville native, said.
"Just with St. Louis being so close, it's going to be a huge part of success to the University of Illinois. We'll continue to be down there and recruit. Coach B is big on being down in the St. Louis and East St. Louis area, and everybody is going to be all in trying to get guys out of there," Illinois running backs coach and St. Louis area recruiter Cory Patterson said.
And it's not just recruiting. Bielema is hoping to see fans flock to Champaign from St. Louis and the Metro East all season long to be part of the excitement and rebuild of Illinois football.
"Would love to have you here. We're doing everything we can, giving back to the community to get the community involved with us here at Memorial, and anything we can do to make that stadium louder I think will benefit everybody," Bielema said.
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