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Illinois Football: 5 surprises on the Scout depth chart

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 17: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini walks off the field after the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. Western Michigan defeated Illinois 34-10. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 17: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini walks off the field after the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. Western Michigan defeated Illinois 34-10. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Illinois Sports
CHAMPAIGN, IL – SEPTEMBER 25: University of Illinois Fighting Illini fans cheer during the game against the Purdue University Boilermakers on September 25, 2004 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. Purdue defeated Illinois 38-30. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

1. Mike Epstein is here to stay

Illinois attempted to find a great one-two punch at running back last season. They started the year off with Ke’Shawn Vaughn but transformed into a Kendrick Foster and Reggie Corbin show relatively early. This duo did a solid job last season.

But, Lovie Smith brought in a good class of 2017 who will all be big parts of this team moving forward. The first big change to the roster is having freshman Mike Epstein as the No. 2 running back behind Foster.

Having Epstein as the No. 2 running back doesn’t surprise me but the timing does. I expected Corbin to start as the No. 2 running back this season and then Epstein would take over the duties sometime during the 2017 campaign.

Corbin had a solid year last season averaging 6.1 yards per carry and ranking No. 5 on the team in receiving yards with 112. But, Lovie does have a lot of talent in Epstein and I am excited to see him perform. He was a great running back in high school, and I imagine he will be used mostly for third down scenarios.

Also, I am excited to see what Epstein could do out of the backfield in the passing game. He has a great ability to run the ball but he is also a good pass catcher. The progression of Epstein is going to be fun to watch.

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