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5 key Illinois football players to see a massive improvement in 2024

It could be a pretty good season for the Illinois football team, but these key players need to see a massive improvement to help win games

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 21, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kaden Feagin (3) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kaden Feagin (3) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
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Kenenna Odeluga – Linebacker

It has been a long time since the Illinois football team has had a dominating linebacker. I think Jake Hansen was the last big-time impactful linebacker to come through those doors.

Kenenna Odeluga could have something to say about that in 2024, though. He is a talented linebacker who has started to gain traction within the Illinois program and is poised for a big season.

Odeluga took a redshirt season in 2021. He then played in 13 games in 2022. This past season, Odeluga started to get more ingrained in the Illinois defense. He started in five games for the program and played in 11 games before going down with an ankle injury. He had surgery on that ankle and had to miss spring practice.

During the 2023 campaign, Odeluga finished with 37 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one sack, and one pass deflection.

I believe Odeluga is about to step into a more prominent role on the team. He is someone who made a huge impact but didn’t play a ton of snaps. In fact, he only played 322 snaps last season compared to Illinois’ other two linebackers Dylan Rosiek and Tarique Barnes, who played 616 and 370 snaps, respectively.

A big reason I think Odeluga could take a jump in 2024 is that Barnes is now out of the picture. He has departed the program, so Odeluga can step into that role and get more snaps. He also had a grade of 69.6 last season, which ranked No. 275 out of 777 linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus.

I think Odeluga has all of the talent needed to be a high-level Big Ten linebacker. He will likely start the vast majority of the 2024 campaign. Look for this talented linebacker to be in contention for an All-Big Ten team by season’s end.

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