Illinois Football: 5 impact freshmen year one for the Illini

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CHICAGO, IL – JULY 23: Head coach Lovie Smith of the University of Illinois football team looks on before the game between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on July 23, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs won 5-3. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

The Illinois football team struggled in 2017 and there is no way to soften that statement.

Illinois wasn’t a good program last season but they are on the right path to fix their woes. They made a change with a few of the coaches including offensive coordinator Garrick McGee. That was a nice adjustment, and we are all waiting to see who the next play caller will be.

Lovie Smith and the coaching staff also brought in a good class of 2018 as well. This class isn’t finished yet but they currently rank No. 49 in the nation and have landed 18 signees so far. Among these 18, there are two four-star recruits and seven in the top 100.

Illinois still has some work left to do to fill in the holes that were already in the team and the ones left by graduation and transfers. Some of the players that are in the class of 2018 will help fill these holes in. They will be big parts of this team moving forward and Lovie will lean on them to make plays.

Here are the five players from the class of 2018 who I think will make the biggest impact on the Illini in the upcoming season.

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