Illinois Football: Spring Practice Quarterback Depth Chart Breakdown
The times are pretty exciting heading into the 2017 season for the Illinois football team.
While football games are only played for about three months out of the year, Illinois football never stops.
Spring practice is right around the corner as Lovie Smith has made it a priority. He is going to start it on February 14 and end it on March 17.
Heading into the spring practice, we are all curious on what will happen with each position. I want to first start with the quarterbacks, though.
Starter: Chayce Crouch
Crouch is likely to be the No. 1 quarterback heading into spring practice and possibly the season. He saw action in four games last season throwing for 249 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.
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Illinois fans got to see what Crouch brought to the table last season. He doesn’t have a great arm by any means, but his running ability makes him dangerous.
Despite the Illini bringing in Cam Thomas and Dwayne Lawson from the class of 2017, I would bet Crouch has a legit shot at starting for the Illini the first game of the season.
Backup: Jeff George
The carousel of quarterbacks in 2016 landed on George as well. He received some playing time because of injuries to Crouch and Wes Lunt.
George threw for 470 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions during his freshman campaign. As far as pure arm talent, I think he takes the cake.
But, George is more limited in the pocket and is turnover prone as well. He will be the No. 2 quarterback heading into spring practice, but he will have a chance to shine.
QB No. 3: Trenard Davis
The third-string quarterback in spring practice is likely to be Trenard Davis. He is a nice athlete who can play multiple positions.
I don’t expect Davis to be a quarterback when the season starts considering there are also two other quarterbacks coming in from the class of 2017.
Next: Breaking Down the Four Early Enrollees
This group of quarterbacks will be interesting to watch in spring practice. They have a lot to prove still, and there will be even more competition coming in later this year.