Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Football: Early Illini projected depth chart for 2018

By Rees Woodcock

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on October 21, 2017 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Fighting Illini 24-17. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on October 21, 2017 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Fighting Illini 24-17. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
14 of 21
Next
Illinois football
CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 25: Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith discuss before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on November 25, 2017 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Defensive End

Starter: Jamal Woods

The Illinois defensive line was a rotation last season until Lovie and Hardy Nickerson started finding the right players to start and to play the backup role. Jamal Woods was one of the many freshmen to emerge as a leader.

Woods wasn’t highly rated coming out of high school. He was a two-star recruit by a few of the recruiting sites, but the Illinois coaching staff saw something in him. He played well for the Illini too.

At the end of the season, Woods finished with 24 tackles in the 11 games he played. He even had a chance to start in four contests for the Illini. This earned him Big Ten Networks All-Freshman Team honorable mention.

I think Woods progressed nicely last season. Honestly, this defensive end position is up for grabs. I wouldn’t be shocked if Woods isn’t the starter by the end of the year but as of right now, I think he is the starter day one.

Backup: Isaiah Gay

Isaiah Gay made two starts last season and they were both early on in the year. This seemed like a bold move at the time for Lovie and the Illini, but putting Gay into the starting rotation clearly wasn’t a bad thing.

Gay end the year with 20 tackles and a sack. He played in every game for the Illini, and he will likely do that again this year as well. I could see him getting a few starts too. Don’t sleep on this kid. He is one of the most talented defensive ends on the team.

Backup: Sean Adesanya

Edit: Sean is a graduate transfer and will be playing for another team in 2018 according to his Twitter account.

A lot of my worries for the Illini are with their depth. Having an experienced player like Sean Adesanya is nice for the program.

Adesanya ended up playing in seven games for Illinois in 2017 and in that time, he had 10 tackles and a sack. He will be a nice piece for the Illini as a senior in 2018.

Home/Illinois Football