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Illinois Football: Position evaluations midway through the 2017 season

By Rees Woodcock

IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini argues with an official during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini argues with an official during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /
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Linebackers

Current: B-

Heading into the 2017 campaign, the Illinois linebackers were supposed to be the strong point of the entire program. They still have some talented players but injuries have really hampered some player’s development.

Tre Watson is, of course, the rock for this linebacker group. Although, he didn’t play a ton this past game but it wasn’t because he was injured. That had me puzzled. He is second on the team in tackles, right behind newcomer Del’Shawn Phillips.

Phillips was a junior college addition to the team that was spectacular. He has been one of the best defensive players on the field for the Illini. I want to see Phillips continuously get better because he will be huge for the team next season. He has tremendous ability and I think he could end up getting drafted into the NFL.

Jake Hansen was supposed to be one of the starting linebackers entering the season but he went down with an injury right before the first game. He will likely still have three years of eligibility after this season, assuming he gets a medical redshirt. Taking his place was Julian Jones.

Jones was a big-time contributor last season and he is extremely athletic. He is a nice replacement but the depth that was once there for the Illini at linebacker is dwindling. With Hansen out of the season, now Jones, Watson and Dele Harding are all dealing with injuries and are questionable to see the field as well.

There is a lot of potential for the Illini at linebacker but the situation is currently dire and that will hurt their midway evaluation.

Future: B-

The future for the Illini linebackers, near and far, is pretty bright. Jones, Phillips and Watson will all be seniors next season and that should bode well for the Illinois football team. Beyond that, Hansen will likely only be a sophomore and Harding is going to be a junior in 2018. These two will take over the starting roles sometime in the near future.

Right now, Khalan Tolson is the only linebacker signed up for 2018. He is a three-star who is ranked as the No. 980 player in the class of 2018. That is a pretty good ranking, so get excited for this kid to see some snaps year one. He would also help with depth but Illinois still needs to snag a few more linebackers for 2018.

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