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Illinois Football: Illini players don Under Armour All-American Game roster

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini greets fans before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini greets fans before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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For the second year in a row, the Illinois football team will showcase not one but two Under Armour All-American Game players on ESPN 2 at 5:00 PM CT on January 3, 2019.

Last year’s game was a big step for the Illini. They were able to snag four-star defensive tackle Calvin Avery from the state of Texas and four-star center turned defensive tackle Verdis Brown from the state of Florida. Brown is actually from Chicago, but he played his final season at IMG Academy.

Those two gets in 2018 were big for the Illinois football program. Both Avery and Brown played in the 2018 UA All-American Game, and now the Illini coaching staff was able to snag at least two more top recruits who are playing in the game this year.

Future Illinois quarterback Isaiah Williams is suiting up for Team Ballaholics. He is listed as a wide receiver/athlete for the game, but he will be playing quarterback for the Illini when he gets to Champaign. He will be coached by none other than Prime Time Deion Sanders.

Marquez Beason is the other Illinois player who is participating in the 2019 UA All-American Game. He was a great get from the state of Texas, and he will be suiting up for Team Flash coached by former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci. Beason is listed as a defensive back and that is the area he will play for the Illini as well. Watch for him to potentially match up against Williams at times throughout the game.

Let’s also not forget about Shammond Cooper as well. Cooper is going to be announcing his college decision at the game, and Illinois looks to be the frontrunner right now. That would be another huge pickup for the Illini. He is playing for Team Ballaholics and will be playing outside linebacker. I assume that is where he would be with Illinois as well.

Next. 5 top Illini targets for the class of 2019. dark

It has been a long time since the Illini have had back-to-back UA All-American Game participants. With Lovie and the coaching staff that we currently have in place, Illinois now has had multiple players in back-to-back UA All-American Games. There is actually a chance to have three players in the game this year. This program is on the rise.

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