Illinois is less than a week away from its season-opener against UAB, which means it is about time to fire up the tailgate grills, grab the face paint, and celebrate touchdowns. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is hoping to lead the Illini to its third straight season of 9+ wins, and with a strong fall camp, he could be well on his way there.
Now, the Illini did suffer some tough injuries, giving young players an opportunity to step up and raise their stock in fall camp. So with it officially being game week and fall camp over, let's take a look at a few winners and losers.
Winners
1. Katin Houser
It should come as no surprise that Katin Houser is the biggest winner for Illinois in fall camp. The ECU transfer has some big shoes to fill, with Luke Altmyer leading this offense for the last two seasons with a lot of success. The buzz about Houser has been extremely positive, especially his leadership over this offense. It seems like the offense is in really good hands with Houser under center.
2. Brayden Trimble
Brayden Trimble was another name mentioned a lot, especially when it came to talking about his improvement since last season. Unfortunately, Illinois has been hit with some tough injuries, like the one to Jayshon Platt that will leave him out for an unknown amount of time. It is expected that Trimble will step right up into Platt's position, making him a big winner out of fall camp.
3. Mason Muragin
Illinois is moving to a 3-3-5 defensive scheme, putting a lot of emphasis on the secondary, but with some injuries at the linebacker position, Mason Muragin has really stepped up and taken advantage of his opportunity. Muragin is expected to be a lock for the MIKE linebacker position, helping anchor the middle of this new defensive scheme.
Losers
1. Pass-catching depth
Illinois took a lot of hits in its pass-catching depth with injuries to both wide receivers and tight ends. Bret Bielema said that both Alex Perry and BJ Thurman are out of the season with injuries, and now the Platt injury cuts even more into the depth of the pass-catchers. In what was once a very deep wide receiver room, Illinois is now trying to get as healthy as possible before any meaningful snaps this season.
2. Daniel Brown
Daniel Brown is one of the linebackers who went down with an injury in fall camp that will set him back this season after fighting to return. Brown will now likely be pushed out of a starting spot and lower in the rotation for the position.
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