Illinois Football: 5 breakout players for the 2017 season

The Illinois football team has a lot of talented players on the roster who should perform well in 2017.

Here are the five breakout candidates for the 2017 season.

WR Mike Dudek

If people were polled – I might do this later – and asked which player they are most excited to see this season, most fans would likely say Mike Dudek.

There is no question Dudek is a fan favorite. During his freshman season, Dudek was incredible. He caught 76 passes for 1,038 yards and 6 touchdowns. That spectacular first season was supposed to be the foundation for a legendary Illini career.

During spring practice heading into his sophomore campaign, Dudek went down with a torn ACL. This was a disappointing setback for this talented wide receiver. Rehab went well for Dudek and he was prepared to come back the following season even better than before.

Dudek fell to another injury in what should have been his junior season. He tore his ACL once again and had to miss the entire 2016 season. He is now back in the Orange and Blue, healthy, and ready to get his career back on track.

The injuries are half the reason I can’t wait to see Dudek back on the field. I don’t want to see a kid that has that much talent not be able to fulfill his dreams. The other half is because Illinois needs talent on the field and Dudek is a great player.

I can’t wait to see Dudek back on the field once again. This season should be fun to watch.