Illinois Football: Verdis Brown tabbed as starting guard for Illini

Verdis Brown was named the starter at the right guard position earlier this week for the Illinois football team.

The Illini had yet to name the starter at right guard before the 2020 football season. On Tuesday, head coach Lovie Smith named Brown the starter at the position. I am excited for Brown to finally show Illini fans what he is capable of doing.

Coming into the Illinois program, Brown was rated as a four-star center who was originally from Chicago but finished up his high school career down at IMG Academy in Florida.

Brown is one of Lovie’s best recruits since he took the reins in 2016. In his first year in Champaign, Brown moved to defensive tackle, but he was an academic redshirt that season. In his sophomore season, he was moved back to the offensive line as a backup.

In the lone season Brown suited up for Illinois, he played sparingly. But now Brown finally gets his opportunity to show fans why he was a four-star recruit.

Proving his talents is important for Brown because his starting spot isn’t guaranteed throughout the season. I believe he will prove why he earned the starting spot in the first place. Of course, he will go through his ups and downs, but he can only get better as the season goes on.

Illinois has been searching for a right guard since Nick Allegretti went to the NFL in 2018. Hopefully, Brown can be the guy to fill that void for the next three years at Illinois. He has all the potential in the world, now it is time for him to show it.