As the Illinois Fighting Illini count the days until their 2018 season opener (16 days left) they continue to grind away in practice. This will be another season of change for Lovie Smith’s team as he continues to seek the formula that will make this football program a winner again. He’ll have plenty of talent to work with as he has a mixture of new players, returning players, and players who are looking to finally get their chance to shine. It’s been speculated that the long-time NFL coach is already on the hot seat in Champaign.
Whether or not that’s the case remains to be seen. But as the Illini continue to put it all together in practice, we’re getting a clearer picture of who this team’s leaders will be this season. Here are the Illini’s five most important players for the 2018 campaign…..
Whomever the starting quarterback is-
Initially it was believed that sophomore Cam Thomas would get the nod based on his experiences from last season. Instead coach Smith decided to have an open competition, meaning that Thomas will contend with four other players for the starting job. Senior A.J. Bush is one player to watch for. The graduate transfer played in five games for Virgina Tech last year and accounted for 228 total yards and a touchdown pass. Experience and athleticism are his best qualities.
Thomas did his best to hold the offense together during the final four games of 2017. He finished his freshman year with 375 passing yards, 233 yards on the ground, one rushing touchdown, and five interceptions. Thomas worked hard during the offseason and in spring football to improve his fundamentals and win the job for a full season this year. The rest of the group is rounded out by three freshman named Matt Robinson, Coran Taylor, and M.J. Rivers.
Whichever man gets the starting job will have the tall task of leading this team and improving an offense that failed to score more than 24 points in a game last year.
Sophomore running back Mike Epstein-
Last year Epstein was the Illini’s second leading rusher (346 yards, 3 touchdowns). For 2018 the Florida native looks to do more and become more of a focal point of this offense. Replacing everything that Kendrick Foster achieved will not be easy, but Epstein has put in the work and is ready for his chance to truly shine on Saturdays. Lovie Smith loves to run the ball and he’ll need every yard he can get out of Epstein.
Senior wide receiver Mike Dudek–
The Naperville native is looking to go out on top in his final year in an Illini uniform. He’s looking for redemption after missing two years due to knee injuries, and 2018 is his last chance to get that redemption. When healthy Dudek can beat coverages, create plays for his quarterback, and move the chains for his team. The Illini will need all of those abilities this year as they look to become contenders again.
Senior linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips-
Lovie Smith is a defensive specialist and is very fond of his linebackers. After all, he did coach a Hall of Famer at one point in time. Phillips has a long way to go before he gets to that level, but he is without a doubt the best defensive player on this team. He led the Illini in tackles (85) and was second in tackles for loss last year (4). The Illini defense gave up 30 points in five games in 2017, and surrendered many big plays to their opponents. Phillps will be called upon to lead the effort to change all of that if Illinois wants to be a winning program again.
Junior defensive back Stanley Green-
Green was Illinois’ second leading tackler last year (70) because of the front seven’s inability to control things in front of them. While Green has proven that he can make the big tackles, his main responsibility is covering the receivers from some of the top programs in the country. He only has one interception in his Illinois career, and if he grab his fair share of picks in 2018 it’ll go a long way towards getting this team back into contention. He’ll be counted on to man the back end of this defense.
The Illini have their work cut out for them in 2018, but if they can put everything together talent wise they’ll have a chance.
