Heading into the season opener, Bret Bielema’s lips were sealed and his mind was made up: He would not reveal a depth chart or share any information about his starters. Aside from one position, that is: quarterback.

After Brandon Peters was named QB1, questions emerged about backup Isaiah Williams, who picked Illinois over the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma after being promised the opportunity to play quarterback. 

Would he transfer to get more playing time? Would he wait for his moment and spend another year as a backup? How would he handle the arrival of Rutgers transfer quarterback Artur Sitkowski?

It didn’t take long for those questions to be answered, as Bielema and staff decided to convert Williams to a wide receiver.

The move made sense, as Williams is known for his speed, ability to make defenders miss and shifty footwork. But after still taking snaps under center during the spring game, Williams did not have an opportunity to showcase his receiving abilities in any official setting.

Until Saturday. 

It was clear Williams would not be the starting quarterback, but the St. Louis native quickly adapted to his new position and earned a starting spot. It quickly became obvious that Williams had gained the trust of Bielema, offensive coordinator Tony Petersen and wide receivers coach George McDonald, as Williams became Peters and Sitkowski’s favorite target, as he made six catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.

“I feel like there’s some more progress that needs to be made, but I felt good,” Williams said. “It felt like home.”

Williams wasn’t the only quarterback to find a role in the offense on Saturday, as Deuce Spann also made his presence felt as a receiver. After only one snap — a 1-yard carry — last season despite several injury and COVID-19 issues at the quarterback position, Spann got his first minutes as an Illini and immediately contributed.

With the offense slowly finding its groove under Sitkowski, who replaced Peters under center after he suffered an upper body injury late in the first quarter, and the Illini looking to build on their 23-9 lead, Bielema opted to give Spann a chance to make a big play. And that’s exactly what he did.

On second-and-9 at the Nebraska 46, Sitkowski aired the ball out and hit Spann with a perfect over-the-shoulder catch inside the 1-yard line, with Spann barely managing to keep one foot inbounds. While this was his only catch, Spann notched the most receiving yards on the Illini.

“We had some guys that maybe some didn’t expect to see today,” Bielema said. “How about Deuce Spann, right? A guy on his first play as a wide receiver comes up with a big play like that, toe-taps and puts the ball on the six-inch line. And Isaiah Williams, his first game as a wide receiver, to be as effective as he was.”

After both putting together impressive debuts in their first game at the receiver position, Spann and Williams will need to continue to be a major factor for this Illini offense, which ranked among the worst units in the Big Ten last season under former offensive coordinator Rod Smith.

“I got the chance to make some plays, show what I can do,” Williams said. “But it’s only up from here.”

@JacksonJanes3

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