Receiver, Illinois, 2019–⁠23

Isaiah Williams

Lettered 2020–⁠23 (school media guide)

Number
No. 1
Height
5′10″
Weight
185 lb
Class (2023)
Junior
Hometown
Saint Louis, MO
Born
Jan 29, 2001

Isaiah Williams played receiver at Illinois (2019–⁠23).

At a glance

Best season
1,055
Receiving yards, 2023 (Illinois, 5–⁠7)
Best game
200 yards
Vs. Indiana, week 11, 2023: No. 2 receiving game in FBS that week

Career highs

192rushing yards, career highat Rutgers, 202013catches, career highat Minnesota, 2023200receiving yards, career highvs. Indiana, 20232receiving touchdowns, career highthree times; last vs. Indiana, 2023

Honors

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2019Illinois393.004
2021Illinois4752511.2452
2022Illinois817098.8563
2023Illinois821,05512.9567
Career2132,29810.81467

Returns

SeasonTeamPRYdsTD
2022Illinois161200
2023Illinois111270
Career272470

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2019Illinois9161.805
2020Illinois633896.2164
2021Illinois12615.1221
2022Illinois750.7013
2023Illinois12383.205
Career1035094.9364

Passing

SeasonTeamCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDInt
2019Illinois31030.0383.801
2020Illinois266341.33936.242
2021Illinois010.000.000
2023Illinois11100.01414.010
Career307540.04455.953

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2019Illinois1WRYr 1
2020Illinois1WRYr 2
2021Illinois1WRYr 3
2022Illinois1WRYr 4
2023Illinois1WRJr. (Yr 5)5′10″185

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. rush
2019Illinois22-0.35––-7.89%–
2020Illinois1230.3120th (n=346)0.5537.732%0.22
2021Illinois930.268th (n=410)0.6724.111%–
2022Illinois940.4317th (n=683)0.7140.811%–
2023Illinois1200.5622nd (n=681)0.8066.615%–

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2023 Illinois 12 games, 82 catches, 1,055 yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDPR
Sep 2vs.ToledoW 30–⁠285510–
Sep 8atKansasL 23–⁠346990–
Sep 16vs.Penn StateL 13–⁠3056302
Sep 23vs.Florida AtlanticW 23–⁠17812001
Sep 30atPurdueL 19–⁠44611301
Oct 6vs.NebraskaL 7–⁠208570–
Oct 14atMarylandW 27–⁠2444312
Oct 21vs.WisconsinL 21–⁠2541601
Nov 4atMinnesotaW 27–⁠261313121
Nov 11vs.IndianaW 48–⁠45920021
Nov 18atIowaL 13–⁠15810501
Nov 25vs.NorthwesternL 43–⁠4565701
2022 Illinois 13 games, 81 catches, 709 yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDPR
Aug 27vs.WyomingW 38–⁠672602
Sep 2atIndianaL 20–⁠23911211
Sep 10vs.VirginiaW 24–⁠331904
Sep 22vs.ChattanoogaW 31–⁠0910311
Oct 1atWisconsinW 34–⁠1073102
Oct 8vs.IowaW 9–⁠63−703
Oct 15vs.MinnesotaW 26–⁠149620–
Oct 29atNebraskaW 26–⁠999311
Nov 5vs.Michigan StateL 15–⁠2359821
Nov 12vs.PurdueL 24–⁠313160–
Nov 19atMichiganL 17–⁠195260–
Nov 26atNorthwesternW 41–⁠33160–
Jan 2 ✦vs.Mississippi StateL 10–⁠19911401
2021 Illinois 12 games, 47 catches, 525 yards, 4 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDPR
Aug 28vs.NebraskaW 30–⁠226411–
Sep 4vs.UTSAL 30–⁠3781010–
Sep 11atVirginiaL 14–⁠425410–
Sep 17vs.MarylandL 17–⁠202470–
Sep 25atPurdueL 9–⁠134210–
Oct 2vs.CharlotteW 24–⁠143240–
Oct 9vs.WisconsinL 0–⁠244230–
Oct 23atPenn StateW 20–⁠18270–
Oct 30vs.RutgersL 14–⁠203671–
Nov 6atMinnesotaW 14–⁠6140–
Nov 20atIowaL 23–⁠332361–
Nov 27vs.NorthwesternW 47–⁠1471131–
2020 Illinois 6 games, 393 passing yards, 4 TD
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDPR
Oct 23atWisconsinL 7–⁠45––––
Nov 14atRutgersW 23–⁠20––––
Nov 21atNebraskaW 41–⁠23––––
Dec 5vs.IowaL 21–⁠35––––
Dec 12atNorthwesternL 10–⁠28––––
Dec 19atPenn StateL 21–⁠56––––
2019 Illinois 4 games, 3 catches, 9 yards
DateOpponentResultRecRec ydsRec TDPR
Sep 21vs.NebraskaL 38–⁠42––––
Oct 12vs.MichiganL 25–⁠42––––
Nov 30vs.NorthwesternL 10–⁠29––––
Dec 30 ✦vs.CaliforniaL 20–⁠35390–

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2024Combine or pro day 2024
Height5′9¼″
Weight182 lb
Arm length30⅛″
Hand size9⅛″
Wingspan72¾″W
40-yard dash4.63 s
10-yard split1.59 s
Vertical jump38″
Broad jump10′3″
Bench press17 reps
3-cone drill6.75 s
20-yard shuttle4.11 s

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

3 seasons, 28 games with a stat; latest team: New York Jets.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2024Cincinnati Bengals8260
2025New York Jets15261930
2026 (so far)New York Jets5111511
NFL career28393501

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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