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Juice' soon will be loose Much-heralded prep quarterback already is achieving cult-hero status as Illini training camp opens
Monday, August 7, 2006
By JOHN SUPINIE
of COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
CHAMPAIGN - The roster says Isiah Williams, Illinois freshman quarterback. On the back of the jersey, the letters say "I. Williams.'' But from now on, it's just "Juice.''
"I've been called Juice since I was 18 seconds old,'' Williams said. "I had an excessive weight problem when I was born.''
He came into this world on Nov. 19, 1987, at 13 pounds 8 ounces, he said. He carried so much weight in his first days that his life was at risk. Williams' grandmother quickly gave him the nickname.
His personality and talent helped him draw a crowd Sunday at Illinois football media day at Memorial Stadium. Until he plays in a game, it's the only chance Williams and the rest of the true freshmen can speak with the media.
Training camp begins today in Rantoul. The Illini open Sept. 2 against Eastern Illinois.
The 6-foot-2, 226-pounder from Chicago Vocational High School looked the part of a college quarterback in his first practice Saturday. He wore a clear visor over his eyes, high white socks (just like former Illini basketball star Dee Brown) and white elastic sleeves to protect his forearms from the artifical turf.
"I feel like I can play with anybody,'' Williams said. "I want to learn and get better every day. It's just me getting the college reps. It's adjusting to the speed of the game and the mental part with the defense.''
The No. 7 on Williams' jersey is a tribute to his favorite players: all-time favorite John Elway and modern-day favorite Michael Vick.
Williams is one of two athletic, incoming-freshman quarterbacks with a strong arm - the other is Eddie McGee of Washington, D.C. Despite his talent and prep successs, Williams must learn on the fly, like the rest of the freshmen.
"It's a different world for them,'' Illinois coach Ron Zook said. "After the first practice, Juice said, 'Man, that was fast.' I told him we're not even out of second gear yet.''
But Williams already has cult-hero status, and the legend is growing.
"I was impressed with the way (the freshmen) throw the football,'' Zook said. "A couple times, the receivers caught the ball to defend themselves. Those guys know they better have their hands up. If the ball hits them, it might knock them out.''
Zook indicated last week he will prepare a second-string quarterback who will play early in the nonconference season to gain experience. Senior Tim Brasic started all 11 Illinois games last season and will begin the season No. 1 at the depth chart. Williams is a strong No. 2, Illini running back E.B. Halsey said.
"You need someone to be the backup,'' Williams said. "A starter can get hurt on the field. He can get in trouble in the classroom.
"You have to start from the bottom. You don't want to be arrogrant. You want to get in the learning stage, learn behind the fifth-year senior. I'm in the perfect situation. I can't get anything but better.''
A Rivals.com top-100 recruit who was ranked as the No. 5 senior quarterback last fall by SI.com, Williams passed for 1,841 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 1,441 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He chose Illinois over Penn State, Ohio State, Tennessee and North Carolina because of a strong relationship with Zook, Illinois' version of the spread offense and the coach's track record of playing true freshmen.
In Zook's second year at Florida, he started true freshman quarterback Chris Leak five games into the season.
"This offense fits me perfectly,'' Williams said. "I want to be in a run-and-gun offense, use my arm and legs.
"I knew (Zook) had faith in true freshmen. He wasn't scared to throw those guys out there. He figures he'll get the better ballplayers out there.''
If nothing else, Williams talks a good game. He claimed he threw a football 83 yards while in pads last fall and an 85-yarder this summer despite the ball slipping.
Even if that's an exaggeration, his arm strength hasn't been questioned.
"God has definitely blessed me with a strong arm,'' Williams said.
His favorite former Illini is Dick Butkus, the Hall of Fame linebacker whose jersey is one of two retired by Illinois. Butkus also graduated from Chicago Vocational.
"He took the game very seriously,'' Williams said. "It's not just a hobby.''
Butkus attended a Vocational game when Williams was a freshman. Williams didn't get a chance to meet the former linebacker. Perhaps the chance will when Butkus makes his next trip to Champaign.
"Definitely, I will introduce myself,'' Williams said.
When that happens, no doubt he'll call himself "Juice."
John Supinie can be reached at (217) 377-1977 and
[email protected].
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'Juice' Williams: Well-armed, but how ready?
By Mark Tupper
[email protected]
CHAMPAIGN - To understand Isiah "Juice" Williams is to understand that he has been making a big impression from the moment he was born.
When Anita Williams gave birth to her son on Nov. 19, 1987, doctors soberly told her the hefty infant might not make it. He barged into this world at a whopping 13 pounds, 8 ounces and the excessive weight nearly ended his life before it began.
"From what I hear I was close to death," Williams said. "Thank God, I'm blessed to be here talking to you."
Talking, laughing, smiling and gesturing with his hands, Juice Williams found himself on center stage at the University of Illinois football media day Sunday. And he had plenty to say, which is good, because aside from this lone exception, Illini coach Ron Zook is putting freshmen off-limits to the media until they actually play in a regular-season game.
That means Williams can go into media hibernation for at least a month, maybe longer, depending on his ability to convince Zook that he deserves immediate playing time.
Since the moment he committed to Illinois, speculation has centered on when this heralded recruit from Chicago Vocational High School might crack the Illini lineup. Penn State wanted him. Ohio State wanted him. Tennessee wanted him. But Williams picked Illinois, largely because he fell in love with Zook, his offense and the notion that at Illinois, he might find playing time early.
With Williams, though, there is no brash talk about unseating senior starter Tim Brasic. There are no cocky predictions about starting in Game 3.
Rather, he sounds humbled by the chance to learn, content to bide his time and respectful that coaches will make depth chart decisions based strictly on performance, not reputation.
For openers, Williams, fellow freshman Eddie McGee and backups Billy Garza and Mark Venegoni (Paul Blalock has left the program) are in competition to see who will be Brasic's backup. None of them have ever played a down of college football.
"We're looking for a second-team quarterback," said Mike Locksley, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "If that quarterback starts to play better than our starter, that's when the problem begins. But it's a nice problem to have."
Zook continually cautions against jumping too far ahead in handicapping the quarterback derby.
After the team's first practice on Saturday, an excited Williams couldn't wait to get to his head coach.
"Juice came up and said, 'Man, that was fast,' " Zook said. "I told him, 'Juice, we're not even out of second gear yet.' "
Initially, Williams is trying to absorb as much as he can. "Some of the defensive schemes, I've never seen before," he said. "I'm trying to get aware of that, to get those mental and physical reps in.
"All the things people told me about the speed of the (college) game, it's true. It's much, much faster than a high school game. But it's not something I can't handle. It's just a matter of getting out there and getting the experience."
One undeniable attribute Williams has is a rocket launcher right arm, a ball-throwing weapon that has the entire training camp buzzing.
"God has definitely blessed me with a strong arm," Williams said, modestly. "Last year, in one of my high school games, I threw a Hail Mary, and it went 83 yards with shoulder pads on. Since I've been here, the farthest I've throw it is 85 yards, but it kind of slipped out."
If anything, receivers are already wary of Williams' throws, some of which arrive with bone-jarring speed.
"When Juice throws the ball, they'd better have their hands up," Zook warned. "It might hit them in the head and knock them out."
Perhaps the hot grind of practice will change Williams' rosy outlook. But so far, this is a happy-go-lucky young man who seems delighted to be where he is.
"When I got down here, I started working with Coach Lou," he said, referring to strength and conditioning coach Lou Hernandez. "He got my weight up from 211 to 226 pounds. He's always motivating me. Coach Lou is one of my favorites.
"And with coach Zook, you can't do anything but smile. Coach Zook has never changed. You get rumors with people saying, 'If you go to this school, the head coach will forget your name.' Coach Zook is nothing like that. He'll laugh with you, smile at you, shake your hand every time he sees you. If he sees you four times in a day, he'll shake your hand four times.
"We've been like father and son almost. Coach Zook is a good guy. It's been a real fun experience for me."
Williams believes Zook's spread offense is perfect for his package of skills.
"I wanted a run-and-gun offense where I could use my arm and my legs," Williams said. "This is a perfect fit."
And he knew that in 2003 Zook had handed the University of Florida starting quarterback job to freshman Chris Leak in the fifth game of the season. "That's one reason I came here," Williams said. "I knew he had faith in true freshmen."
For now, though, Williams understands that a quarterback must at least become No. 2 before he can be No. 1. And there are a handful of candidates looming behind Brasic, all looking to take the next step.
"It's true that you always need someone to be a backup," Williams said. "A starter can get hurt or he can have trouble in the classroom. I respect coach Zook's decisions. He always has a reason for everything he does.
"For me, being a backup, if that's my role, I'm going to take it. You have to start from the bottom. You don't just jump into anything. You don't want to be arrogant.
"You go through the learning process. I'm learning behind a fifth-year senior. I'm in a perfect situation. I can't do anything but get better."
Yes, he'll get better. But how much and how soon?
With practice under way, now even the coaches are searching for the answers.
