Illinois football just had one of the best seasons in the last 20 years, and now the roster is going through an overhaul.
The Illini lost a lot of talent from that eight-win campaign in 2022. Our secondary is depleted, our offensive line lost a couple of starters, and our starting quarterback is now in the NFL.
Bret Bielema and the Illinois coaching staff needed to have a great class of 2023 and transfer portal season, and they did just that. The Illini have so many newcomers entering the program. Most of them could see snaps from day one too. But I think there are a handful who will be the biggest instant-impact players.
Here are the top five instant impact newcomers for the Illinois football team in 2023
5. Dez’Mond Schuster
The Illinois offensive line took a hit this offseason. With the 2022 campaign concluding, the Illini lost two starting offensive linemen in Alex Palczewski and Alex Pihlstrom. Losing these two hogs up front will hurt, which is why I think the addition of Dez’Mond Schuster will be an immediate impact.
Schuster is a 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive lineman who I believe could play both guard and tackle for the Illini. After playing his freshman season at Hutchinson Community College, Schuster wanted to take his talents to the next level. He entered the transfer portal and picked Illinois as his landing spot.
In the lone season with Hutchinson CC, Schuster would shine. He would end up earning first-team All-Conference honors. In the transfer portal, Schuster was the No. 30 JUCO player in the country and the No. 2 JUCO interior offensive lineman in the class of 2023.
With the departure of Palczewski, I think there is now room for Schuster to come in and, potentially, start right away. At worst, I think he earns a lot of snaps from day one.
On the front lines, I could see the starters including Julian Pearl, Jordyn Slaughter, Isaiah Adams, Zy Crisler, and then whoever takes over at center. Schuster is going to be looked to for depth and some starts in 2023. He is going to be extremely important if Illinois wants to move the ball up and down the field. I could legit see three or four starts out of Schuster in 2023.
4. Saboor Karriem
Illinois’ secondary has been depleted after the NFL came in and took all of our talent out of the program. With three NFL Draft picks coming out of the secondary and one player getting signed as an undrafted free agent, the Illini will need some talent to come in and play immediately.
I think Saboor Karriem could be a great option to be an instant impact player in year one. He is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound cornerback from West Orange High School in New Jersey. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 343 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 6 player coming out of New Jersey.
The talent that Illinois lost in the secondary in impressive. Devon Witherspoon departed as a cornerback. Illinois had both Sydney Brown and Kendall Smith depart as safeties. Quan Martin also left the program and is entering the NFL as a safety. He was a solid nickel defensive back for the Illini.
Bret Bielema has done a good job reloading at defensive back. I like some of the pieces we have on the roster. Taz Nicholson and Matthew Bailey should get plenty of shine. Elijah Mc-Cantos was a highly-rated recruit from the 2022 class. We also have a couple of transfers in Nicario Harper and Kaleb Patterson who could make some waves.
There is so much uncertainty with the Illinois secondary, though. I would imagine, once all of the freshmen arrive on campus, that the secondary will start taking shape. In the first couple of games, we will probably see our secondary rotate in and out frequently. There is plenty of room for Karriem to come in and make an instant impact. He has the talent to be able to be a freshman All-American in 2023.
3. Malik Elzy
Speaking of Freshman All-American talent, I think Illinois landing Malik Elzy is going to be one of the best gets of the Bret Bielema era. This kid has so much talent, and the Illini offense is finally getting a big weapon on the outside.
Elzy is a 6-foot-2, 204-pound wide receiver from Simeon High School in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 225 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 33 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 4 player coming out of Illinois.
Illinois was able to flip Elzy from Cincinnati earlier this year. I think this will go down as one of the biggest recruiting flips in program history when it is all said and done.
It has been a long time since Illinois has had this much talent at wide receiver. I can’t wait to see what Isaiah Williams does in his junior year. He has All-American talent written all over him. I am also excited to see how Casey Washington and Pat Bryant do this season. They are two talented pass catchers.
But beyond those three, there are a bunch of question marks in the Illinois wide receiver corps. There is a lot of talent on paper, but most of these wide receivers haven’t played a snap in college just yet.
This would leave room for Elzy to come in and make an instant impact from day one. He is the highest-rated wide receiver Illinois has pulled in since Arrelious Benn in 2007. Look for Elzy to have a big year and be a Freshman All-American candidate. He is going to do wonders for the Illinois offense.
2. Demetrius Hill
Sunday was pretty big for the Illinois football program. We were able to secure a transfer portal commitment from one of the best defensive backs in Demetrius Hill.
Coming out of Miami Springs Senior High School in Florida, Hill was a three-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 991 player in the class of 2021. He was also the No. 78 safety in the country and the No. 123 player in the state of Florida.
Despite offers from some big-time programs like Florida, Hill would land with Florida International. In year one, he would take a redshirt. This past season, Hill would break out and have one of the best years by a freshman defensive back.
Hill would finish the 2022 campaign with 95 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 forced fumbles, 2.0 pass deflections, 1.0 sacks, and 1.0 interceptions. These great numbers would earn him Freshman All-American honors.
Illinois landing this talented safety is going to be great for the program. He already has DI experience, and Hill should slide into a starting spot from day one. With players like Sydney Brown and Kendall Smith departing the program, Hill immediately becomes an instant impact defensive back.
I think Hill goes down as the No. 2 instant impact newcomer for the upcoming season, but he was close to being No. 1. I think Illinois fans are going to be pleasantly surprised by how well the secondary will play in 2023.
1. Luke Altmyer
The No. 1 instant impact newcomer on the Illinois football team is an obvious one. Quarterback Luke Altmyer takes the cake, as the Illini needed a new leader under center.
Coming out of Starkville High School in Mississippi, Altmyer was a four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 196 player in the class of 2021. He was also the No. 21 quarterback in the country and the No. 4 player coming out of Mississippi.
Altmyer could have picked any team in the country, including Alabama and Florida State, but he ended up landing on Ole Miss.
In two seasons with the Rebels, Altmyer would see a backup role. He only had one start and would throw for a combined 317 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in his limited action. With three years of eligibility remaining, he decided to hit the transfer portal.
Illinois secured Altmyer’s commitment this offseason, and it was a big pledge for the Orange and Blue. He should come in and earn the starting job from day one.
Tommy DeVito was a great starting quarterback for the Illini. He had the most accurate season in program history in 2022. But DeVito is now gone and with the New York Giants. Illinois needed to fill this massive void, and we were able to do that with a four-star quarterback.
The fact that the Illini didn’t have a quarterback makes Altmyer an obvious instant-impact newcomer. I would imagine he starts every game this season for the Illini. Look for him to have a pretty big year as well. Illinois has a ton of weapons, and Altmyer just needed a chance to shine. I believe he will shine brightly in 2023.