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Players We’re Hyped About: Safety Bennett Williams

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.