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Illinois Football: Profile of the Illini starting defensive backs

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini helmets during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 48-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini helmets during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 48-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois football team has a nice young stable of defensive backs.

Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff will rely on these starters at defensive back to hold the opposing offenses in check. That is a big task to ask of such a young group.

But, all five of the starters can handle this tough task. They all have starts under their belts and should be the main guys heading into the 2017 season.

There are many players who were a part of the spring practice depth chart. Here are is a breakdown of the projected starting defensive backs.

CB Jaylen Dunlap

Experience at defensive back is great for any football team. Illinois has that experience with cornerback Jaylen Dunlap. He is a player Lovie Smith and Hardy Nickerson relied on last season and the same will happen again in 2017.

Dunlap is projected to be the starting cornerback again this upcoming season. He ended up with 62 tackles last season which was a tie for fourth on the team. He also threw in 11 pass deflections and a fumble recovery as well.

Getting an experienced player like Dunlap back for his senior season is going to be crucial for the Illini. They couldn’t afford to lose any more talent than they did last year. Expect Dunlap to shine once again.

Dunlap has been in the spotlight since coming to Illinois in 2013. He played in every game his freshman campaign but then missed all but one game during the following year due to injury. The NCAA granted him a hardship waiver, so he didn’t lose a year of eligibility.

During Dunlap’s redshirt sophomore campaign he played in every game for the Illini again. He was an important piece on defense and special teams for those Illinois squads. Last season Lovie looked to Dunlap to take another step forward in his career and he did. He ended up starting every game for the Illini and not many players can say they did the same.

Look for Dunlap to make a huge impact on the team in 2017. He has the ability to be a special player and there is a chance, if he performs well enough, to possibly get some looks in the 2018 NFL Draft.

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