Illinois Football: Illini fans have a reason to watch the USFL

Illinois football fans can watch a former player suit up in the professional ranks on Sunday.

It is mid-April, so not many people are in the mode of watching professional football on their televisions. But that needs to start changing a little bit, as the USFL is back in full swing and ready to take over your spring.

This time around, the USFL is looking to be a mainstay in the sports world. On Saturday, the first game kicked off with the Birmingham Stallions beating the New Jersey Generals, 28-24. Week one finishes on Sunday with three games. One of those games features former Illinois running back, Reggie Corbin.

In the inaugural USFL Draft, the Michigan Panthers selected Corbin with pick No. 5 in round 28. Corbin will be wearing No. 3 for the Panthers, which isn’t too far from his usual No. 2 all Illinois fans were used to him wearing.

The Panthers start their season against the Houston Gamblers. They kick off at 11:00 a.m. CT on NBC and Peacock.

Former Illinois football running back Reggie Corbin should stick in the USFL.

Depth charts are going to be ironed out throughout the USFL season, but I fully expect Corbin to not only get snaps but to potentially take over the starting job sometime this season.

Professional football is leaning more toward dual-threat running backs. They want someone who can run between the tackles but can also go out and catch a ball in the flat.

Corbin can do both of those things. In 2018, he rushed the ball for 1,085 yards and had 16 catches for 176 yards. He also averaged 8.5 yards per carry, which is an insane number.

I think it will be Corbin and Stevie Scott – from Indiana – duking it out for snaps and the starting job. They both have a similar style in their approach to the game, so it will be interesting to see who emerges as the go-to running back.

It is fun to have some skin in the game when it comes to the USFL. That makes the product more intriguing to watch. For the first time in my life, I am a fan of a Michigan team. Let’s go Panthers.