Illinois Football: Early look at the Illini defense for 2019

CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 17: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini walks off the field and is met by athletic director Josh Whitman after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes 63-0 at Memorial Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – SEPTEMBER 29: Tanner Lee /

Defensive Tackle

2018 Starter: Jamal Milan (3-star #898)

2019 Starter: Jamal Milan (3-star #898)

There were a few consistent players for the Illinois defense last season and Jamal Milan was one of those players. He was tremendous as a junior for this Illini squad. He missed the first four games of the 2018 season with an injury but was able to come back and start the final eight games.

Milan will enter his senior season as one of the starting defensive tackles. He was a solid player as a junior and should be one of the best on the team as a senior. The depth behind Milan is what I am excited about as well.

As of right now, the backup to Milan in my books is redshirt freshman Verdis Brown. Brown was an amazing snag from the class of 2018 but had to redshirt last season due to some academic issues. He is back this year, though, and should be a tremendous player for the Illini. He was a four-star recruit who was the No. 343 player in the class of 2018.

Behind Brown on the depth chart is senior, Kenyon Jackson. Jackson has a ton of experience for the Illini. Throughout his career, he has had eight starts and has played in 27 games for this program. Having him as the No. 3 defensive tackle is exciting. We finally have some quality depth. I see Jackson getting some snaps this season.

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