Cali defensive back grabs B1G offer

Illinois is the first Power 5 offer for 2-star defensive back Bennett Williams from Mountain View (Calif.) St. Francis.

Williams now plans a trip to Champaign to check out the Fighting Illini program in person.

Bennett Williams was surprised by the Illini offer. He had been talking to Illini defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson.

"It was so exciting," Williams said about the offer from Illinois. "I wasn't necessarily expecting it. It kind of came late on scene. Things happened so quickly. It worked out well for me, and I'm very excited about it."

There's also a family connection. Nickerson was teammates with Williams' father Garey Williams at Cal in the 1980's. In fact, the elder Williams, a safety at Cal, was on the field during the famous Stanford band play in 1982.

"Coach Nickerson actually played football with my dad at Cal," Williams said. "He sent me a text a few days ago, and he was in contact with my dad. He reached out, and they offered me this morning."

"I'm planning on visiting the weekend of Jan. 28," Williams said. "I'm excited to meet Coach Smith and the rest of the staff. I just want to get a feel for what its all about."

Illinois is now Williams' top offer to play college football, but his decision still won't be an easy one on signing day. A top student, he also has a chance to attend some of the best academic institutions in the country.

"I've been heavily recruited by the Ivy Leagues," Williams said. "I just took a visit to Yale this past weekend. I've been considering Yale, Harvard, and Columbia. I've also been looking at UNLV, San Jose State, and UC-Davis."

Still, now that he has an offer from a Big Ten school, Williams is adjusting his leader board.

"Illinois came along, and they might be at the top of my list," Williams said. "We'll see how it all works out.

"I told myself at the start of this that I would pick the best school for me that fit academically and athletically. I wanted to play at the highest level in the Power 5 conferences against the best teams in college football. Illinois would give me the opportunity to do that."

According to Williams, Illinois is recruiting him to play safety.

"They see me as a versatile guy, but I think they see me playing safety," Williams said. "I also played wide receiver, and I was the leading receiver on our team."