Illinois Football: Expectations for Milo Eifler in 2020

A former prominent national recruit, Milo Eifler made a big splash after transferring from the west coast powerhouse, Washington Huskies, to the Illinois football team.

The highlights speak for themselves, but what kind of improvement can we expect in the final stint of Eifler’s Illini career?

An athletic specimen, Eifler brings a flair, energy and power that is unrivaled on this roster. The 6-2, 225 linebacker plays bigger than he actually is, and runs faster than he should be able to run. The human hit stick has the profile and tendencies to play on Sunday’s but still has plenty of work to do. The tantalizing athletic presence has mass opportunity to makes his production felt.

The big development I hope to see, and what I believe the key will be for Eifler, is to be a controlled chaos. The outside backer’s role is to rack up tackles, put pressure on the quarterback, contain the edge with his speed and guard a tight end when necessary.

Eifler’s rare combination of speed and power has made him look like a chicken with his head cut off at times, missing reads and making simple mistakes but also making some of the best defensive highlights of the Lovie Smith era at times. It is a two way street with an aggressive athlete like Eifler, but consequently, it is an ideal case for Lovie and Miles Smith who have the opportunity to build Eifler into technically sound, scheme fit linebacker.

Now the question becomes, will we see a more technically sound Milo Eifler in 2020? Can he control the chaos that does make him such a special athlete? I think we will, and I think this linebacker group as a whole has a chance to be special if Khalan Tolson, Jake Hansen, Shammond Cooper and Eifler all progress as many hoped.

Eifler averaged nearly five tackles per game last season and ranked sixth on the defense in total tackles. Two total sacks, one fumble recovery and zero forced fumbles was nothing to write home about.

Dele Harding’s graduation leaves a massive whole in terms of tackle production (153 total tackles, 11.7 per game), and while Hansen and Sydney Brown should once again swallow up 70+ tackles, Eifler will have the opportunity to stunt his versatility and physicality in between hashmarks.

Eifler will show progress controlling his power for two reasons. First, he has to for this Illini defense to show improvement. His pass rushing and heavy blitz tendencies will be flaunted, but he needs to fill a more productive role in his Senior campaign. The Illini have a few strong pieces returning, but Hansen might be the only proven piece in the front seven. Milo must prove his consistency.

Secondly, Eifler must control his power if he wants to play on Sundays. Sound tackling and presence in the trenches would make Eifler one of the more appealing defensive prospects in the Big Ten for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Statistical Projection

8 Games, 34 solo, 14 assisted, 48 total tackles, 5 sacks