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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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Illinois Football
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) /

5. Sydney Brown

With the class of 2019 coming in and players developing from prior classes, Illinois is actually starting to build depth at key positions. One of those position groupings is defensive back. The secondary is starting to have some nice talent at multiple tiers of the depth chart.

There were a few true freshmen who played in the secondary last season for the Illini. One of these players was Sydney Brown. He came in and saw playing time and starts in year one. So, I am not sure how much of a sleeper this kid is right now.

Brown was a three-star recruit coming out of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. He was ranked as the No. 1405 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 110 safety in the nation. He was also the No. 217 player in the state of Florida.

The first year in Champaign was good for Brown. He played in 10 games and had seven starts on the season. He was an impact player for this program. But with so much depth on the team, is he going to start in 2019?

I look at the roster and think Tony Adams and Stanley Green are starters at safety. Quan Martin and Nate Hobbs will start at cornerback. I have Marquez Beason either being a starter at cornerback or potentially the nickel position. So, that would leave Brown as a primary backup.

3 effects of the Kevin Tyler commitment to the Illini. dark. Next

Brown as the first defensive back coming off the bench makes him a sleeper. I have him making a huge impact on this team in 2019. He is a great player who could spell minutes and will likely get a few starts this season. Having that much talent in the second-string is great for the program.

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