A 2-star cornerback from Northern California with just one Power 5 offer, Bennett Williams’ performance last season was nothing short of spectacular.
Looking at last season’s freshman class, there understandably was a lot of preseason hype surrounding some of the bigger-name recruits such as wide receivers Ricky Smalling and Carmoni Green and defensive lineman Owen Carney. In 2017, the Illini started 15 true freshmen. Bennett Williams was hands-down the best of that group, and his impact on the Illinois defense was felt as close as Champaign and as far as Tampa, Florida.