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Illinois Football: Top 5 defensive targets left for the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: An Illinois football Helmut rests on a post during a Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL. Purdue won, 46-7. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: An Illinois football Helmut rests on a post during a Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL. Purdue won, 46-7. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Illinois Football
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – NOVEMBER 04: An Illinois football helmet sits on the field before the start of the Big Ten Conference game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Purdue Boilermakers on November 4, 2017, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Illinois football offense continues to progress nicely, but their defense is what really needs to take a step forward in 2019 and beyond.

Illinois is bringing in some help from the class of 2019 to bolster the defense. Top recruit Marquez Beason will be a monster for wide receivers on the outside. Look for this kid to shine early and often for the Illini. I love the addition of Shammond Cooper as well. He will be a staple in the middle of the Illini defense as a linebacker. This kid has a really bright future.

The defensive line will be greatly improved as well. Moses Okpala and Keith Randolph are coming in as defensive ends. They will help build depth in year one and could be starting by their sophomore seasons. Don’t be surprised if both players see a lot of snaps this season and maybe even a few starts.

I can continue on as well. Seth Coleman’s stock rose to a point where he cracked the top 1000 in the recruiting rankings. He will be a solid defensive end. Joseph Thompson will help the second at cornerback and Tarique Barnes will provide more depth for the linebackers. But, just because we have some great players coming in from the class of 2019 doesn’t mean the class of 2020 can lack depth too.

Illinois is going to need some great players on the defensive side of the ball to come in and make an impact on the team in 2020. There are still some big targets left on the board.

Here are the top five defensive targets left for the Illini.

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