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Illinois Football: 5 Illini freshmen who will make the biggest impact

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on top of a dryer on the sidelines during the Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on top of a dryer on the sidelines during the Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 02: The Illinois Fighting Illini helmet on the field after a win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

1. Marquez Beason – RS Freshman – Defensive Back

I think the biggest freshman everyone is waiting to see on the field is Marquez Beason. This kid was heralded as a top recruit, the Illini were able to pull him in from the state of Texas.

Beason was a four-star recruit who was the No. 99 player in the class of 2019 coming out of Duncanville High School. He was going to be an instant impact player in 2019 and could have even started the majority of games. But, before the season started, Beason went down with a knee injury.

On August 19, 2019, Lovie Smith announced that Beason would have season-ending knee surgery. This ended the talented defensive back’s year before it even started. But Illinois fans are ready for his comeback, and he is poised to make his mark on the team.

Coming into the 2020 campaign, I am slotting Beason in one of the starting safety roles for the Illini. I have him listed as a “defensive back” in this article because I believe Beason can play any of the defensive back positions. But his season, I have him as a safety.

As a starting freshman, he will have the best opportunity to make an impact on the team. Illinois has improved their pass defense each of the past two years. In 2018, the Illini gave up 260.2 passing yards per game, which ranked No. 105 in the nation. Last season, they improved that number to 212.9 passing yards per game, which ranked No. 42 in the nation.

With Beason stepping into a starting role, I expect the Illini to continue improving that number. He is an upgrade over what we had at safety in 2019. Look for Beason to be a freshman All-American in 2020.

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