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Illinois Football: Projected Illini depth chart on defense for 2020

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini run out of the tunnel before the game against the California Golden Bears at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini run out of the tunnel before the game against the California Golden Bears at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 12, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on the field as players stretch before the start of the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Allio-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on the field as players stretch before the start of the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Allio-USA TODAY Sports /

Linebacker

Starter: Shammond Cooper

I am pretty excited about the linebacker positions for the Illinois football team. First up is Shammond Cooper. The talented 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker is entering his redshirt freshman campaign after getting a taste for the college game as a true freshman.

Last season, Cooper did have a chance to play in three games for the Illini. This offseason, it seems that the talented linebacker has gotten bigger and faster, so we should be instore for some great play. Look for Cooper to shine as a starting linebacker for the Orange and Blue in 2020.

Primary Backup: Khalan Tolson

I honestly don’t think you can get much better than having Khalan Tolson as a backup on the football team. I have the 6-foot, 220-pound linebacker being the primary backup to Cooper. He should see a decent amount of playing time in 2020. In the two years he has spent with the Illini, Tolson has played in 23 games with four starts at linebacker.

Backup: Isaac Darkangelo

An under-the-radar addition to the Illinois football team this offseason was Isaac Darkangelo. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker decided to take a preferred walk-on role with the Illini after playing for DII Northern Michigan for two seasons. During his sophomore campaign, Darkangelo finished with 105 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss.

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