Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Football: Projected Defensive Depth Chart

By Rees Woodcock

Sep 27, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illni defenders Jarrod Clements (99) and DeJazz Woods (90) signal first down as they wait for the referees
Sep 27, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illni defenders Jarrod Clements (99) and DeJazz Woods (90) signal first down as they wait for the referees /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 13
Next
Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general shot of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general shot of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

LB Tre Watson

Next: LB James Crawford

The Illinois linebacker core is made up of some talented recruits that were not highly regarded coming out of high school.  Tre Watson belongs in that group.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini /

Illinois Fighting Illini

Watson was a 2-star linebacker coming out of the high school ranks.  He had a total of 6 scholarship offers and Illinois was the biggest one by far.

Illinois clearly saw something in Watson that no one else could see because he has now developed into a really good linebacker and probably one of our starter’s day one.

Watson, like Jones, is a true sophomore this season.  He impressed the coaching staff last season so much he had a chance to play in 9 games for the Illini.

In those 9 games Watson racked up 21 total tackles and a sack.  He was a special player as a true freshman and I expect him to continue to improve this season.

Watson and Jones are going to be two linebackers we get the pleasure of seeing the next three seasons.

They are young and talented and I can’t wait to see what Lovie and his coaching staff can do with these two players.

Home/Illinois Football