Champaign - In case you live in a hole, or just don’t follow Illinois athletics, the hype surrounding quarterback Isaiah Williams and cornerback Marquez Beason, both true freshmen, are already reaching substantial heights.

Fans have placed the future of the program on their shoulders and even head coach Lovie Smith admitted so himself, at least regarding Williams when he called him “our future.”

The pressure that can follow a comment like that can be overwhelming. Yet, the duo seems unphased. The pressure seems to have united them, in fact.

When media members swarmed the table that Williams sat at during Illinois Football Media Day, a wild Beason appeared in the back of the media huddle. He just watched as his fellow newcomer introduced himself to the public.

Finally, Beason grew anxious and wanted to ask a question. He was given a microphone and moved to the front of the table, extending out the mic to Williams.

“How do you feel Marquez has been doing this fall camp?” Beason asked.

Williams took the opportunity to take an empty jab at Beason.

“I was saying like how I wanted him on the offensive side of the ball, but he can’t catch,” Williams said with a wry smile.

Once the laughter died, Beason didn’t walk away after jumping in on the media scrum like so many other players had when performing the same antic. He stayed and listened to his “future” quarterback.

What he heard was Williams explain how the immediate pressure of reviving football in Champaign isn’t going to phase him. He knows his time will come, whether it’s this fall, or sometime down the road.

“I don’t ever feel the pressure. I’m just doing what I love to do,” Williams said. “It has been kind of hard because everybody is expecting you to start. ‘You got to do this. You got to do that.’ And they want you to do it early.

“But that’s not the same for everybody. My way is not the same as everybody else’s way. So, if it’s my sophomore year, or my junior year, when my time comes, I just want to be prepared. I just want to be prepared. That’s the main thing. I’m not really worried about starting right now or anything. Just getting prepared for when my name gets called.”

Offensive coordinator Rod Smith, who was instrumental in bringing Williams to Illinois along with assistant Cory Patterson, said Williams thrives under pressure.

“He’s a level-headed kid. I don’t think pressure affects him at all. To be honest with you, I think he enjoys that type of scenario,” Smith said. “He’s always been a big-play guy, a big moment guy, so I don’t think that’ll bother him at all.”

Beason has always been one of the Illini’s strongest advocates and supporters since he signed his allegiances to Illinois. He’s been interactive with the fans, whether it’s holding live Q&A sessions on social media or staying late after practices taking pictures with kids.

He’s in love with the Illinois fanbase and they're in love with him, but he doesn’t let any pressure to perform as a result deter him from the reason he’s here in the first place.

“At the end of the day, we’re just playing football," Beason said. "We don’t worry about what the outside people say. We just come here to play football. We’re not worried about the stats or none of that, we just came here to win.

“I don’t really look into the hype.”

Beason stayed for the full duration of Williams’ media session. Once it was clear he had answered the final question, Beason asked him “are you ready?” Williams nodded and the pair got up simultaneously. Together, they walked side by side down the hall as one brother would walk with the other to their school a couple of blocks away.

Beason and Williams seem not worried about the pressure that’s been placed on them. For Beason, he knows what skill set he brings to the team and he knows what impact that can have going forward. And for Williams, he knows patience is a virtue.

“I’m going to be one of the best to do this when it’s all said and done.”