Illinois Football: 3 players looking to rebound from the 2019 season
2. Marquez Beason
It isn’t every day a top 100 recruit steps into the building and suits up for the Orange and Blue, so the fan excitement when Marquez Beason committed to Illinois was understandable.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing 185-pounds, Beason had every team in the country vying for his commitment. Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame were among the best of the best eyeing the talented athlete. But on December 19, 2018, Beason made it official and signed with Illinois.
The Bishop Dunne High School standout turned Duncanville superstar wanted to blaze his own trail in the college game. Rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 99 player in the class of 2019, Beason had his eyes set on the starting cornerback role for the Illini in year one or, at least, some type of starting defensive back duty.
Champaign was buzzing in the late summer of 2019 with the hopes of having its best season in years. The talent was building and the excitement was high, until one training camp practice where Beason went down with a knee injury. The injury was deemed “significant” at the time and later it was revealed that Beason would need season-ending knee surgery.
Illinois would go on to have that solid campaign that featured a six-win program and a bowl appearance for the first time in nearly a half-decade. Beason had to watch from the sidelines, but the mentality that the comeback would be greater than the setback was instilled in the talented defensive back.
Beason is now entering his redshirt freshman season after taking a redshirt in year one. The expectations were high for the kid in 2019 because of the talented he was bringing to the table. Those expectations aren’t dwindling any time soon, though.
The rebound is going to be fun to watch from the Texas product. I believe Beason can bounce back from this horrific injury and form into the great player he was destined to become.
With a graduate transfer commitment falling through, I actually have Beason lined up at one of the starting safety positions whenever Illinois manages to start playing football again. Seniors Nate Hobbs and Tony Adams will hold down the cornerback roles this year while Sydney Brown is the other starting safety.
Illinois’ secondary is going to be dangerous in 2020. The senior leadership is there, and now we have health on our side. Beason should be able to fit right into a starting position on the depth chart and be sensational from day one.