Illinois Football: What will Lovie Smith do without Dwayne Lawson?

The quarterback position for the Illinois football team is a little more set after some big news today.

Jeremy Werner of Scout first reported that incoming junior college transfer, Dwayne Lawson, probably won’t be enrolling at Illinois this fall. This news has huge ramifications on the quarterback situation for Lovie Smith and the Illini.

Lawson is a 6-foot-6, 222-pound JUCO quarterback. He was rated as a three-star recruit who was the No. 87 JUCO player in the class of 2017 and the No. 5 Pro-Style JUCO quarterback. Last season, Lawson spent time with the Garden City Community College Broncbusters. While with Garden City, he threw for 354 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also rushed for 188 yards and 3 touchdowns as well.

The news of Lawson likely not coming to Champaign is not too surprising. The entire process seemed to be dragging on and earlier this year it was being reported that Lawson still needed to finish up a few classes before transferring. Time went on and Illinois signed their class and still, no news came out whether or not he was coming to Illinois. Now that we know he likely won’t be playing this season, what does Illinois do now?

Honestly, the Illini will probably be in the same position with or without Lawson on the field. It is not like he lit the world on fire with his passing and running abilities. He was a four-star when he originally came out of high school but that high rating didn’t translate onto the field. Illinois will now likely start Chayce Crouch in 2017.

There are some things to like about Crouch’s game that gives me hope for a stable quarterback position. For one, the size he brings to the table is perfect for the type of player he is on the football field. Crouch likes to pull the ball down and run with it and his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame is built to take a beating.

Crouch compiled a stat sheet of 470 yards, 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions through the air before sustaining a shoulder injury in week six. He also rushed for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground as well.

The running game is clearly the strong suit for Crouch moving forward. He has to realize when he needs to slide, though. He can be dangerous with his legs but Illinois can’t afford to lose him again for the season. I keep having flashbacks of the Purdue game when Crouch kept the Illini in it with 137 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. If the Illini can get that, along with his 10-of-14 passing for 142 yards, from him every game, this season might not be as bad as some are projecting.

Next: Anthony Solomon keeping tabs on the Illini

Crouch is likely going to lead this Illinois team onto the field in 2017. He has some experience now and, hopefully, that experience turns into wins for the Illini.