During its 2007 Rose Bowl year, the Fighting Illini defense was led by seniors J Leman, Chris Norwell, Antonio Steele, Justin Harrison and Kevin Mitchell. Replacing those players will not be easy, but Ron Zook is a great recruiter and now is the time for his guys to contribute.
Defensive Line
This should be the strength of not only the defense, but the team. This group will rotate 8 or 9 guys throughout the game, so starting doesn’t mean much. Will Davis (9.5 sacks) and Doug Pilcher (5.5 sacks) should start at either defensive end spot with Derek Walker, Jerry Brown, Antonio James and Clay Nurse filtering in throughout the game.
Defensive tackle is a place on the defense that doesn’t have much depth at this time. Returning starter and former walk-on David Lindquist (4.5 sacks) will lead this group along with sophomore Josh Brent and Sirod Williams. Zook hopes to have one of the DEs transition and play DT on passing downs to mitigate the lack of depth at DT. Highly touted freshmen recruits Corey Liuget and Reggie Ellis should push for playing time and be a part of the rotation by the Big Ten season.
The D-line should be good enough to get to the quarterback with just the front four, leading to better coverage downfield. With so many guys rotating in and out, this unit will wear down opponents and should have some big second halves this year. Davis is a first day NFL Draft talent and Lindquist and Walker can also play in the league. Filling the second DT spot will be an area of concern, with Brent hopefully providing stability there. He is a highly regarded player with a ton of potential and is expected to make a significant contribution.
Position rating: A
Linebacker
Illinois will have to replace their two leading tacklers from last year at linebacker, J Leman and Antonio Steele. Britt Miller (62 tackles) returns as a starter for this group and uber-recruit Martez Wilson will have another starting spot. The battle for the third linebacker will probably come down to Rodney Pittman and Sam Carson, with Pittman probably leading at this point. Freshmen Ian Thomas Justin Staples should find themselves on special teams and as backups.
Miller and Wilson have the talent to make up for whoever the third spot is filled by, and the Illini will probably play a lot of nickel with only two linebackers. The defense funnels through Miller, so his being in shape and ready to go from the start will be very important to the success of this unit.
Position rating: B-
Secondary
At cornerback, the Illini could be the best in the Big Ten and this unit is led by All-American candidate Vontae Davis. This should be the last season for the junior, who is a potential top 10 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. On the other side, junior Dere Hicks is fresh off his first season as a starter, where he had two interceptions. The third cornerback will be sophomore Miami Thomas, who had his coming out party against Ohio State last season with an interception. Freshmen Patrick Nixon and Tavon Wilson will have to impress to crack this rotation.
The safety position is inexperienced but talented. Replacing starters Kevin Mitchell and Justin Harrison will not be easy. Junior College transfer Donsay Hardeman has serious potential and sophomore Travon Bellamy was as good as Vontae Davis his freshman year before a leg injury sidelined him for all of last season. These two should be the starters by the first game of the year if Hardeman can learn the playbook and be trusted by the coaches. Sophomores Nate Bussey, Bo Flowers and Garrett Edwards should provide solid depth at this position and on special teams. Sophomore Brian Gamble played receiver last year but could be in the mix at safety this year if he chooses to play defense.
The battle for the nickelback spot will probably come down to Miami Thomas, Bo Flowers and Nate Bussey, with Flowers playing the most of the three. The nickel will be especially important against teams like Missouri and Indiana, who open up the field and try to exploit the secondary.
Position grade: B
Overall, the defense is very good up front on the line, which should make life easier for the linebacking corps and secondary. Illinois needs to avoid big plays by not blowing assignments at safety. Kevin Mitchell and Justin Harrison weren’t the fastest or most talented players, but they knew where to be and didn’t get beat often. If the new starting safeties can avoid big plays, the Illinois defense has a chance to be among the best in the Big Ten.
Defensive Line
This should be the strength of not only the defense, but the team. This group will rotate 8 or 9 guys throughout the game, so starting doesn’t mean much. Will Davis (9.5 sacks) and Doug Pilcher (5.5 sacks) should start at either defensive end spot with Derek Walker, Jerry Brown, Antonio James and Clay Nurse filtering in throughout the game.
Defensive tackle is a place on the defense that doesn’t have much depth at this time. Returning starter and former walk-on David Lindquist (4.5 sacks) will lead this group along with sophomore Josh Brent and Sirod Williams. Zook hopes to have one of the DEs transition and play DT on passing downs to mitigate the lack of depth at DT. Highly touted freshmen recruits Corey Liuget and Reggie Ellis should push for playing time and be a part of the rotation by the Big Ten season.
The D-line should be good enough to get to the quarterback with just the front four, leading to better coverage downfield. With so many guys rotating in and out, this unit will wear down opponents and should have some big second halves this year. Davis is a first day NFL Draft talent and Lindquist and Walker can also play in the league. Filling the second DT spot will be an area of concern, with Brent hopefully providing stability there. He is a highly regarded player with a ton of potential and is expected to make a significant contribution.
Position rating: A
Linebacker
Illinois will have to replace their two leading tacklers from last year at linebacker, J Leman and Antonio Steele. Britt Miller (62 tackles) returns as a starter for this group and uber-recruit Martez Wilson will have another starting spot. The battle for the third linebacker will probably come down to Rodney Pittman and Sam Carson, with Pittman probably leading at this point. Freshmen Ian Thomas Justin Staples should find themselves on special teams and as backups.
Miller and Wilson have the talent to make up for whoever the third spot is filled by, and the Illini will probably play a lot of nickel with only two linebackers. The defense funnels through Miller, so his being in shape and ready to go from the start will be very important to the success of this unit.
Position rating: B-
Secondary
At cornerback, the Illini could be the best in the Big Ten and this unit is led by All-American candidate Vontae Davis. This should be the last season for the junior, who is a potential top 10 pick in next year’s NFL Draft. On the other side, junior Dere Hicks is fresh off his first season as a starter, where he had two interceptions. The third cornerback will be sophomore Miami Thomas, who had his coming out party against Ohio State last season with an interception. Freshmen Patrick Nixon and Tavon Wilson will have to impress to crack this rotation.
The safety position is inexperienced but talented. Replacing starters Kevin Mitchell and Justin Harrison will not be easy. Junior College transfer Donsay Hardeman has serious potential and sophomore Travon Bellamy was as good as Vontae Davis his freshman year before a leg injury sidelined him for all of last season. These two should be the starters by the first game of the year if Hardeman can learn the playbook and be trusted by the coaches. Sophomores Nate Bussey, Bo Flowers and Garrett Edwards should provide solid depth at this position and on special teams. Sophomore Brian Gamble played receiver last year but could be in the mix at safety this year if he chooses to play defense.
The battle for the nickelback spot will probably come down to Miami Thomas, Bo Flowers and Nate Bussey, with Flowers playing the most of the three. The nickel will be especially important against teams like Missouri and Indiana, who open up the field and try to exploit the secondary.
Position grade: B
Overall, the defense is very good up front on the line, which should make life easier for the linebacking corps and secondary. Illinois needs to avoid big plays by not blowing assignments at safety. Kevin Mitchell and Justin Harrison weren’t the fastest or most talented players, but they knew where to be and didn’t get beat often. If the new starting safeties can avoid big plays, the Illinois defense has a chance to be among the best in the Big Ten.
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