Illinois Football: Top 5 Illini players poised to have a breakout season

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Jan 2, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Tarique Barnes (8) leaps over Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) in the first quarter during the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Tarique Barnes

When one door closes, another door opens. This upcoming season, I think Tarique Barnes is poised to have a breakout season because he is the man at linebacker in 2023.

Illinois lost some serious talent at inside linebacker. Leading tackler Isaac Darkangelo departed the program for the NFL. Calvin Hart Jr. then decided to enter the transfer portal, and he is out west with Oregon State now.

These two big departures give the green light for Barnes to have a massive season. I am not talking about just improving numbers, I am talking about leading Illinois’ defense in multiple statistical categories.

Barnes finished 2022 with 46.0 tackles, 2.0 pass deflections, and 1.5 sacks. That is a solid season, but he wasn’t the No. 1 option at linebacker. Toward the end of the 2022 campaign, Barnes started to take more of a leadership role, though.

In the first seven games of the season, Barnes would have a total of 18 tackles. In the final five games of the season, he would have 28 tackles, and much of that was against tougher competition.

Barnes has everything Illinois needs at inside linebacker. He has great speed and vision. Look for him to lead the program in tackles in 2023. I think he is poised to have a big-time breakout season and, potentially, make an All-Big Ten team.

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