5 observations from the massive Illinois football win over Kansas

4. New additions coming through big for Illinois

Illinois had a balanced class of 2024. We didn’t just lean on incoming freshmen or the transfer portal. Bret Bielema and the coaching staff managed to get a nice mix of both worlds.

The recruiting efforts have shown early on in the season, especially against Kansas. I have already mentioned a couple of names who have played some big snaps.

Wide receiver Zakhari Franklin and running back Ca’Lil Valentine are both new to the Illinois roster. Franklin is a veteran pass catcher who has been around for a half-decade, and Valentine is a fresh new true freshman who is seeing his first snaps. Both were crucial in the Illinois win over Kansas.

The new addition impacts don’t stop there, though. Defensively, Illinois had some big games out of some key players.

Dennis Briggs Jr. showed his ability against the Jayhawks. He put some pressure on Jalon Daniels every once in a while, and Briggs was a tackling machine. He finished with six tackles and a tackle for loss.

I was impressed with the game Torrie Cox Jr. had at cornerback for the Illini. His box score doesn’t show much, as he only had two tackles, but he was more impactful than that. Kansas went at Cox early on in the game, and he was able to keep his man in check. At one point, the Kansas wide receiver made the hand gesture that Cox was too short and for Daniels to throw the ball higher. Cox didn’t give up a big play in the game.

These newcomers have been big for the Illini. Bielema did a great job filling the holes left by the departing players, and those additions have already paid dividends early on in the 2024 season.