The Illinois football team named their captains for the 2019 campaign on Tuesday afternoon.
Here are the Illini team captains this season and what each player brings to the table.
Blake Hayes
Blake Hayes is a junior punter for the Orange and Blue. That might not sound like a big deal, but this kid has been sensational since joining the program.
Illinois was able to find Hayes out of nowhere, or so it seemed. He didn’t have the recruiting attention of some big-time special teams players, but he came in and has done a fantastic job. As a freshman in 2017, Hayes made the All-Freshman team and was All-Big Ten honorable mention. Last season was an improvement as a sophomore. He made the media All-Big Ten third team and averaged 43.6 yards per punt. Having a great punter is important, and the Illini coaching staff was able to find that with Hayes.
Jake Hansen
What can you say about Jake Hansen? Let’s first start off with the fact he stuck with the program despite coming in from the class of 2016 and having the coach who originally recruited him get fired right after signing day. He has been a true leader ever since.
Hansen saw action in every game for the Illini as a true freshman. Coming into his sophomore season in 2017, he was going to be a starter at linebacker. But, during training camp, he went down with a season-ending injury. That still didn’t get Hansen down. He came back last season and started every game for this program and was sensational. He has shown this Illinois fanbase and the team true leadership and perseverance.
Dele Harding
The class of 2016 is going to be important for the Illinois football team in 2019. Dele Harding was a member of this class. Harding had a chance to leave the Illinois program after the coaching change in 2016 but didn’t do it. He stuck with this team and whatever was to come next.
Harding has been looked upon to contribute big minutes for the Illini. He saw action in year one as a true freshman. In 2017, as a sophomore, he managed to start in five games. Last season, he had a couple of starts and played in nine games. This kid has been through a lot over the last few years. He has earned this captain role.
Doug Kramer
Doug Kramer has been an example of hard work and leadership throughout his time with the Illinois football team. Kramer, another member of the class of 2016, came into a program that was going through turmoil and change. But he has proved to be a stabilizing force of the last few seasons.
In 2016, Kramer ended up working on his game and taking a redshirt. The following season, he was looked to for starts. He was thrown into the fire and ended up starting eight games at center for the program. That great experience helped him in 2018 as he started every game for the Illini. Kramer continues to show why working hard and perseverance always pays off.
Alex Palczewski
The first few seasons of the Lovie Smith era were rocky. As the coaching staff was starting to take shape, so was the rest of the team including the offensive line. The first real recruiting class Lovie brought in was the class of 2017. This class included Alex Palczewski.
Palczewski stepped into the locker room day one and has been a starter. This kid started 11 games as a true freshman and was a Big Ten Network All-Freshman Team honorable mention. This past season, he started every game for the Illini and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention player. Palczewski is building his legacy and is starting to become a legend with this program.