Illinois Football: Illini to move Verdis Brown from DL to OL
It looks like the Illinois football team is going to have another change of position by a big-time player.
Erich Fisher of Rivals.com reported that Illinois defensive tackle Verdis Brown is now going to be moving to the offensive line. Fisher also reported that his, possibly, could be a result of offensive lineman Jake Stover getting injured. There is also no report on whether or not this is a permanent move for Brown.
Brown was a big recruit for the Illini coming out of high school. He was originally a Chicago kid who transferred down to IMG Academy in Florida to finish out his high school football career. He was a four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 343 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 6 center in the nation.
Illinois recruited Brown as a defensive tackle, though. Getting him to come home and commit to the Illini was a big deal. He picked the Orange and Blue over other big programs like Florida State.
The first year in Champaign was a redshirt season for Brown. He took an academic redshirt year to save himself a year of eligibility. This enabled him to get a little more acclimated to the game, which is a good thing.
I actually like this move by the Illini. The interior defensive line is good for this season. We have some depth there with Kenyon Jackson, Tymir Oliver, Jamal Milan and Calvin Avery. Moving Brown over to the offensive line will now provide them some depth as well.
There might be a legit shot at Brown starting for the Illinois offensive line. I could see a starting front five of Richie Petitbon, Kendrick Green, Doug Kramer, Alex Palczewski and Brown. Behind them would be some serious, quality, depth as well.
Usually, in situations like this in the past, Illinois would be up a creek without a paddle. This isn’t the case, though. Lovie Smith and the coaching staff have built solid depth. We were actually prepared for something like this. I am curious to see how this turns out.