No matter how the Illinois football team finishes this season, the future is bright for this program.
The class of 2019 continues to give the Illini fan base hope for things to come. There are some talented players coming out of this class including Marquez Beason.
Beason is a 5-foot-10, 177-pound cornerback who now attends Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 66 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 11 player in the state of Texas.
Marquez transferred to Duncanville from Bishop Dunne with his cousin – who he calls his brother because of the tight bond – Zeriah before the start of the 2018 campaign. Zeriah is also a big Illini target for 2020.
This was a big move for Beason considering it is his final year of high school. The decision seems to be paying off through week one, though.
“I played well and the team played well,” said Beason, “I just want to focus on my technique.”
Working on technique is going to benefit Beason in the future as he works his way toward joining the Illinois football program. As we all saw against the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday, the Illini need more depth at cornerback. That depth will build as the young players continue to develop and the class of 2019 rolls in with the talent they are bringing as well.
With Beason’s busy football schedule, I asked him if he had a chance to watch the game on Saturday and what his thoughts were on the team.
“I did and the team is young but will compete,” said Beason, “I can’t wait to join them.”
I think I can speak for all of Illini Nation when I say that I share that same sentiment. I can’t wait until Beason gets to Champaign as well. He has all the talent in the world, and it will be exciting to see a player of his caliber in the secondary again.
There was some coaching turnover in the secondary over the last three weeks as well. Coach Donnie Abraham departed the program so he could spend time with his family and watch his son’s senior year of football down in Florida.
The replacement for Abraham for the 2018 campaign is Lovie Smith’s son, Miles Smith. He is taking over the defensive backs coaching duties and there will be a search for a replacement after the season. Since there was a coaching change with the grouping Beason is going to be coming into, I wanted to ask him his thoughts on the coaching move for the Illini.
“I am cool with it because I am close with all the coaches,” said Beason.
It will be interesting to see who eventually fills the role of defensive backs coach for the 2019 season and beyond. Someone who can develop talent is needed. This class of 2019 has a chance to be special, and Beason is leading the charge.
“We have a solid class but it’s not over,” said Beason, “we are just getting started.”
If you aren’t excited about the future of Illinois football, then I am not sure what you are doing. The future is so bright for this program and the class of 2019 will help build the team into a contender again.