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Illinois Football: 5 sleeper players for the Illini in 2019

By Rees Woodcock

LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini walks on the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini walks on the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – OCTOBER 27: Illinois Fighting Illini on the field before a college football game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capitol One Field at Maryland Stadium on October 27, 2018 at College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

1. Jakari Norwood

The running back position this season is going to be exciting. With Reggie Corbin coming back and, in my opinion, being a dark horse Heisman candidate, Illinois should have one of the best rushing attacks in the game.

Behind Corbin is going to be interesting, though. There is a congested backfield with some talented players. But I think the player who could make an impact but isn’t on a lot of peoples radar is Jakari Norwood.

Norwood was a three-star recruit coming out of Deerfield Beach High School. He was ranked as the No. 2170 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 134 running back in the nation. He was also the No. 336 player in the state of Florida.

We got a chance to see Norwood in three games last season. He played well in those games too. He had five carries for 29 yards and one reception for 11 yards. Thankfully, the new NCAA rules enable you to redshirt players through four games of the season, so we got to save a year of eligibility for him.

In that short spurt last season, we got to see Norwood and the talent he brings to the table. This kid is quick. He can work as a running back or we can send him out of the backfield to catch balls in space. I look for Norwood to have a sneaky good 2019 campaign.

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