Illinois Football: Are Illini serious Big Ten West contenders for 2020?

Illinois must focus on stopping the run

Lovie Smith will be calling the plays on defense, where he’s no stranger to coaching having been a defensive coach for his entire career except when he was a head coach.

The defense was good in spots last season. They were 54th in scoring defense and 45th in passing yards per game, but really struggled against the run giving up nearly 200 yards per game on the ground to rank 103rd. There’s not a ton of experience on the defensive line which may once again lead to some run stopping issues.

Seniors Isiah Gay and Owen Carney will likely be the leaders of the defensive line. Gay has played in 26 games at the college level but just 10 have been starts, while Carney has appeared in 23 career games. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Tre’Von Riggins or Cooper Davis, two of the Illini’s top recruits, get some action on the line as well.

Linebacker figures to be a strength for the Illini despite losing the best player at the position (and arguably on the entire defense) Dele Harding.

Jake Hansen and Milo Eifler, both seniors, finished third and sixth on the team, respectively, in tackles. Hansen accounted 7.5 for loss with three sacks while Eifler had 10 for loss with two sacks. Hansen forced an impressive seven fumbles last season, recovering three himself.

Although not the most experienced player at linebacker, Tariq Barnes played in all 13 games as a true freshman last year. If Lovie is looking for a young guy to build around, especially with all the experience around him, Barnes may be just the guy for the role.

While linebacker is a strength, secondary is the strength. There’s a ton of experience, depth and untapped potential in the secondary that they could evolve into one of the best in the entire nation.

Sydney Brown is the team’s top returning tackler and as just a junior will continue to build on his 88 takedowns from a year ago. His three interceptions are also promising.

Nate Hobbs and Tony Adams are both senior cornerbacks that have appeared in combined 55 games over their Illini career.

Marquez Beason, a four-star recruit in 2019, has household name potential in 2020. He’s one of the best prospects Illinois had signed in the a long time, but tore his ACL in fall camp and didn’t get any real playing time in 2019. He could be the breakout player in the Big Ten.