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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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Defensive Line

Current: C+

I gave the defensive line a lower grade than most people probably think they deserve but I am basing this off what the defensive line is now, not what the future holds. That will come later.

The current defensive line has been a rotation of players, and it seems like Lovie and Hardy Nickerson are just trying to find out who can play and who can’t to prepare the team for 2018. The most impressive defensive lineman I have seen this season has to be defensive end, Isaiah Gay.

Gay is another true freshman on this team and currently has 11 tackles and a sack on the season. He has caused chaos in the backfield for opposing offenses but there is still a long way to go for him to become an all-conference guy. He is still pretty raw like fellow true freshman defensive end, Bobby Roundtree.

Roundtree came onto the scene hot, just like Gay. But, they both have cooled down lately, though. Roundtree currently leads the team in sacks with three and you can see how great this kid will be, along with Gay. The future is bright with these two.

Illinois is still in search of an all-conference type of defensive tackle. They have a nice rotation right now of Tymir Oliver, Kenyon Jackson and Jamal Milan but there needs to be a boost at this position to help stop the run, which the Illini have struggled at this season.

Overall, though, the defensive line is not the problem for this Illinois team. They are just young and that is why they have struggled this season.

Future: A-

One of the positions for the Illini that really has a bright future is the defensive line. They are already solid and young. That youth will develop over the final half of this season and heading into next year, Illinois should have one of the best defensive lines in the Big Ten.

Of the defensive linemen that play the most snaps now, James Crawford will be the only one graduating. He missed the first few games this year, so that won’t be a huge hole for the Illini. Beyond him, Illinois is looking at Milan, Jackson and Oliver all being juniors next year. Roundtree and Gay will be sophomores. Illinois also has a handful of other defensive linemen who could develop a lot over the next year or so as well.

Looking ahead to the class of 2018, Illinois only has one defensive lineman coming in but he is really good. Defensive tackle Calvin Avery is going to be an instant starter for the Illini team. He is a four-star recruit who is the No. 191 player in the class of 2018. Look for him to make an impact instantly and be a four-year starter for the Illini.

With the current roster and Avery coming in next season, the future is extremely bright for this Illinois defensive line. They will be one of the best in the Big Ten in the next few seasons.

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