Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Instead of starters and backups, let’s just go with each position here.

Placekickers: Derek Dimke, backed up by Taylor Zalewski

I’m still kind of sad that Matt Eller transfered.  You never want to see a kid leave just before his final season.  I mean, I understand why – he was stuck behind one the the best kickers in the nation and he wasn’t going to beat out the freshman at punter – but I still wish he would have stayed.  Oh well – we’ll always have the 2008 Iowa game.

Did I say “one of the best kickers in the nation”?  Yes – yes I did.  29 for 34 in your career means you’re one of the best kickers in the country.  There’s not really much else that needs to be said about Dimke.  Except that we’ll really miss him next year.

Next year?  Well, there’s this freshman Zalewski, who finds himself second on the depth chart at the moment.  But there’s also freshman Baron VanMiegham (his name really isn’t “Baron”, but it should be), offensive lineman turned kicker Nick Immekus (rs-FR), and another rs-FR, Patrick Dunn.  That’s the 4-way battle for kicker next summer.  For no real reason, my money’s on the offensive lineman.

Punters: Justin DuVernois, backed up by Ryan Lankford

Yes, that Ryan Lankford.  Our 4th wide receiver is also our backup punter.  Backup rugby punter.  Let’s just get that out of the way first.  Yes, when we’re kicking into the wind, I think we’ll rugby punt some.  No, it won’t be as bad as Dejuan Warren.  Yes, Ryan Lankford is better at it than any of the punters.  No, I don’t think we’ll use it that much.  But yes, it can be effective when trying to prevent 20 yard punts that just hang there in the wind.

Matt Eller wasn’t able to transition himself into a punter, so the job is 100% the freshman’s.  DuVernois was given a scholarship to come in and be our starting punter as a true freshman, and that’s just what he’ll be.  My prediction for Saturday: two 39 yard punts, one booming 48 yard bomb, and an absolute shank that goes 12 yards.  Consitency will be key for the freshman.

Other options backing up DuVernois include rs-FR Brad Janitz and true freshman Garrett Stroup.  If DuVernois struggles, I’m not sure if we’ll go with one of these guys or see what Lankford can do.  Regardless, punting is much more a question mark than it was a year ago today.

Returners: Terry Hawthorne, Troy Pollard, Darius Millines, Jack Ramsey, Josh Ferguson

Predictions: For the opening kickoff against Arkansas State, we see Terry Hawthorne and Troy Pollard back deep.  But for the rest of the game, especially if the defense is coming off a long series, you’ll see Darius Millines and Troy Pollard back there.

For the first punt of the game, it’s Hawthorne.  But if he struggles catching the ball, look for Jack Ramsey to head out there.  Or maybe even true freshman Josh Ferguson.

But all of that is secondary to this: 2011 needs to be the year of the Black Cat.  I want him returning every kick he possibly can.  He’s the most explosive athlete on the team, and I want the ball in his hands as much as possible.  We’re the worst FBS team at returning punts during the Zook era – seriously, statistically, we’re 120 out of 120.  While scheme and blocking are still a concern, we can change some of that by getting the ball in Hawthorne’s hands.

Long Snapper: Zak Pederson

He snaps the ball to the punter and to the holder.  And sometimes, on punt team, he gets to tackle people.  That’s pretty much it.

Oh – there is one thing.  Last reminder, Zak.  When you see a ball bouncing on the ground after the returner fumbles, fall on it.  Just trust me on that – fall on it.

Holder: Tim Russell

This probably has me more concerned than anything else on our special teams.  Derek Dimke is 29-34 on field goals… with Anthony Santella as his holder.  Now that it’s Tim Russell performing the holding duties, will they mesh?  Will Russell tilt the ball just right for Dimke?  Does Russell have good hands?  Will he turn the laces out, Dan?

As I said in the 89 Illini series, my goal for Tim Russell is to never hear his name all season.  Because if you hear his name, it probably means he screwed up.

Thus endeth the position breakdown series.  Which means tonight it’s time for the first Stream Of Consciousness post.  Which means tomorrow, FOOTBALL.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Steve Hull, Supo Sanni

Of the two, I think I’m the most confident in Hull at strong safety.  He played really well out of the gate last year – I feel like he had 5 tackles in the first half of the Missouri game – and had he not gotten injured in the Ohio State game, I think we would have seen a lot more of him.  He missed 4 games and wasn’t really healthy until the Texas Bowl, so we really didn’t get to see the progress we were hoping for.

And that progress would have been great, because with Trulon Henry moving up to Sam linebacker, Hull is the most experienced player we have back at safety.  From Bobby Jackson to Kevin Mitchell, it always seems to take a safety a full year of starting experience before he’s really ready to be a playmaker.  So while I’m excited about Hull as an upperclassman, I’m worried about his Adjustment Year.  Things could be rocky back there.

The same could be said for Supo Sanni at free safety.  He did play a fair amount in 2009 – my lasting image of Shoop is him dragging down an Ohio State receiver 8 yards out of bounds in Columbus – so he has some experience.  And he was in line to start last year before the Achilles injury, so he’s not some new kid who came to Rantoul and won the job.  It’s his 4th year now, which, and I’ve probably said a dozen times in these previews, is the year for everyone to make The Leap.

But that injury.  I get halfway into my giggle at film of Dan Persa limping around at Northwestern practice before I realize that any “it takes more than a year to come back from that injury” statements I make also apply to Supo Sanni (of note, this will not prevent the #Persaweak hashtag from showing up in my Twitter feed this fall).  There are big concerns about Sanni’s health – I’ll probably spend a full quarter just watching him on Saturday.

Backups: Patrick Nixon-Youman, Jack Ramsey, Ben Mathis

If Ben Mathis’ parents ever found this blog, I have to be their hero.  Despite his walkon status and his buried-on-the-depth-chart reality, I continue to watch him wrap up textbook tackles in practice and lobby for him to get playing time.  I liked what I saw in the spring; I liked what I saw in Rantoul.  He’s not the fastest guy nor the most athletic.  But when he’s out there running with the third string defense in a live scrimmage, I swear he makes every single tackle.  Get this kid a special teams spot at a minimum, coach.

As far as the other backups, I think it’s fairly easy to see how it plays out.  Jack Ramsey is the backup at free safety and Patrick Nixon-Youman is the backup at strong safety.  So when Hull comes off, it’s PNY, and when Shoop comes off, it’s Ramsey.

PNY is kind of the forgotten man back there.  I arrived in Rantoul for the first scrimmage and surveyed the defense and kind of had an “oh yeah, PNY” moment.  With his eligibility issues when he arrived in Champaign and his awful muscle tear injury, it’s been quite a long road to get to here.  He did find a nice niche last fall as a nickel (dime?) corner/safety.  2 interceptions, a forced fumble, a couple big tackles here and there.  Vic Koenning means it when he says he wants to use depth to keep his defense fresh over a 12 game schedule, so expect to see a lot of PNY this fall.

And Jack Ramsey too.  His long journey from high school quarterback to college receiver to cornerback (and returner) has settled at free safety.  I had the chance to talk to him in Rantoul (interview is included in the podcast I posted Tuesday), and he was adamant that free safety was his spot and he was going to “ride it out” to the end.  He showed great instincts in the make-up scrimmage, reading Nathan Scheelhaase’s eyes and picking off a pass.  But he’s probably a year away from being a significant contributor at the position.  Learning curve and whatnot.

That seems to be the theme here, doesn’t it.  Learning curve.  Four safeties that show potential (plus Mathis! Hi Mrs. Mathis!), but four safeties that are very, very light on experience.  Hope they’re fast learners.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Tavon Wilson, Terry Hawthorne, Justin Green

Yes, 3 starters. Because they’re pretty much interchangeable. Wilson is physical.  Green is fast.  Hawthorne is physical-fast.

Because they’re probably the strength of our defense, I think we’ll see a lot more 5-DB formations than most teams usually run (I’d call it a nickel defense, but since our Sam linebacker is really another defensive back, it’s really more of a quasi-dime defense). I can see us using Tavon Wilson as almost a second Sam linebacker.  Hawthorne and Green take the corners, and Wilson either takes the slot receiver or stays in the box to chase a tailback.  You want your best players on the field, and that might be the way to do it.

In most of my position breakdowns I’ve gone through the individual starters here, but that seems kind of pointless to me for some reason.  They’re a unit, and they should be discussed as a unit.  So I’ll lay out a typical series to illustrate how I think we’ll use these three players.

First Down: Green on the sideline, Hawthorne at Field Corner (wide side of the field), Wilson at boundary corner (short side of the field).  Arkansas State tries a run off left tackle, 2 yard tackle-for-loss by Bad News Brown.  2nd and 12.

Second Down: Craig Wilson comes off (we go with three down linemen), Justin Green comes on and heads to field corner, Hawthorne switches to boundary corner, Wilson heads to the slot.  Arkansas State QB scrambles for 11 yards, 3rd and 1.

Third Down: Even though it’s a running down, we stay with the 3-3-5 alignment.  Tavon Wilson moves up to the edge where he’s basically a 4th linebacker.  Arkansas State tries play action with a throw over the top, but the ball is under-thrown and Terry Hawthorne picks it off.  WHAT’S THIS, he laterals to Steve Hull who is bouncing off tacklers at midfield.  NOW HULL LATERALS BACK TO HAWTHORNE WHO IS IN THE CLEAR DOWN THE WEST SIDELINE.  HE’S AT THE 10, ONE MAN TO BEAT…

I can get carried away.

Backups: Valdon Cooper, Miami Thomas

All this talk of Donovonn Young and Ralph Cooper, and here Valdon Cooper might be the surprise of the freshmen. He was a lightly recruited athlete out of Georgia (I think he only had one other D-1 offer) who played mostly tailback in high school.  Most expected him to arrive at Illinois and redshirt while he learned to play cornerback.  But he looked pretty good in Rantoul – good enough to find himself at second string cornerback when the depth chart was released yesterday.

In a mailbag post a few weeks ago, I answered the “pick a freshman who will redshirt this fall but will be a solid player down the road” question by saying Valdon Cooper.  Now it looks like I’ll have to pick someone else, because Cooper might play on Saturday.

The other backup is Miami Thomas.  As I’ve said several times, I’d love it if Miami could finally be healthy and return to Ohio State Game 2007 form.  Two ACL’s and two shoulder surgeries later, he’s still trying to make it back.  I think he looks healthier than he did the last two summers, so I expect him to find his way onto the field this fall, but I think he’s the fifth guy right now.  He’s still a gambler in practice – dropping his guy because he thinks he read the QB and wants to jump a route.  He gambled last fall and gave up a TD to Northern Illinois.  He gambled in the spring game and picked off Scheelhaase.  So if he wants to find the field in Koenning’s D, he probably needs to stop gambling and start playing within the system.

Although I don’t want him to completely stop gambling.   I’d love a scenario where we put him in the game when we need a 4th quarter INT for a comeback victory.  One big INT that proves all of the rehab was worth it – that’s my goal for Miami.

And if all the other cornerbacks want to pick off a few passes as well, I’d be OK with that, too.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Jonathan Brown, Ian Thomas, Trulon Henry

I’m so impatient with Jonathan Brown.  I want him to be the superstar that I think he can be, like, tomorrow.  But with this being his first year starting, I must – MUST – be patient.  I should put a sticky-note on the mirror so I make that pledge every morning: “Be patient with Jonathan Brown – he’s only a true sophomore, and he’ll have to work through mistakes before he can become a Big Ten superstar. And brush your teeth.”

But I’ll repeat my kool aid prediction for his senior season: Brown is all over the watch list for the Butkus in 2013, and if he can stay healthy and we have a productive defense, he can chase after Big Ten DPOY. The kid is talented PLUS he plays mean.  He is angry that this man in the different colored jersey has the ball, and he wants to punish him for trying to take it somewhere.  He doesn’t have top-end linebacker speed, so my predictions may be a bit foolish.  But if there are two guys I’m bullish about on this team, it’s true sophomores Darius Millines and Jonathan Brown.

Ian Thomas, on the other hand, is just the opposite.  And I mean that in a good way.  He’s started for 2 years, so we know what we’ll get from him (whereas with Brown, it’s all conjecture).  We know how he plays the game and what he needs to improve on.  But his shoulder injury really limited him in Rantoul, and as we keep hearing reports that he’s “almost back to 100%”, I get concerned.  Shoulder injuries are crazy some times – remember Arrelious Benn?  Each week he was “almost back to 100%”, and each week he would tweak it.  I’m concerned that with this injury, the best year we saw out of Ian Thomas was his sophomore year.

Since I just rode the roller coaster of crazy kool aid prediction for Jonathan Brown and doomsday injury worries for Ian Thomas, I’ll try to settle back in the center for Trulon Henry.  I was very pleased to hear that Henry had been moved forward to Nate Bussey’s Sam linebacker position.  Last December, when putting together a depth chart for the 2011 season, I opined that moving Trulon forward would be the best thing for our defense and for Trulon.  He seems a natural for that position – a big safety that can fly around and use his instincts to make a mess of things.  It was unfortunate when Ashante got suspended, but it might be a positive outcome with Trulon learning the Sam.  Even if Ashante returns and Trulon goes back to safety, we still have another player trained at the Sam, which is a place we need some depth.

Backups: Houston Bates, Brandon Denmark, Henry Dickinson, Ralph Cooper, Ashante Williams

I’m glad I waited until today to type out this position breakdown.  Because today it was announced that Ashante was back practicing with the team. This, in my opinion, changes the makeup of the defense significantly.

So let’s start with the Sam linebackers.  I don’t think Earnest Thomas (redshirt freshman) is ready yet.  I KNOW Zeph Grimes (true freshman) isn’t ready yet.  And that’s that.  There are no other players that have practiced at the Sam linebacker position.  So if Trulon went down with an injury, Earnest Thomas would have been tossed out there prematurely.

With Ashante returning to practice – my guess: a two game suspension (on top of his prohibition from team activities for the last month) with Ashante returning for the Arizona State game – the situation changes.  Trulon knows two positions now, so if Ashante can come all the way back and regain his starting spot, we have the flexibility to use Trulon at safety again.  And if you’ve listened to Vic Koenning at all over the last month, he’s searching and searching for multiple players at every position.  Ashante gives us a legitimate option at Sam.

At Mike and Will, I think we go three deep.  The clear backups (to me) are Bates at Will and Denmark at Mike.  I think of them as “situational” backups.  For example:  I could see Bates and Denmark becoming our linebackers in the dime package.  Craig Wilson comes off, Justin Green comes on, and we go with three down linemen and a linebacker rushing the QB.  That linebacker in the Martez role from last year’s dime package?  Brandon Denmark.  And if we rush a fifth guy, I think we rush the Will linebacker off the other edge.  I think that guy will be Houston Bates, a converted defensive end.  So I could see a “blitz dime” package specifically designed around Bates and Denmark’s strengths.

As true backups to Ian Thomas and Jonathan Brown, I could see true freshmen Henry Dickinson and Ralph Cooper getting playing time.  With Thomas nursing his shoulder injury, Cooper played a lot with the first string in Rantoul.  And in the Saturday night scrimmage, the first linebacker to sub-in with the first string defense was Dickinson.  They keep preaching depth depth depth this August, so I think both guys will play. And I could see Cooper starting to take more and more minutes, especially if Thomas’ shoulder continues to be a problem.

Overall, as long as Ian Thomas is healthy, I’m really comfortable with the linebackers.  A 3rd year starter in the middle calling the shots.  A senior safety trying to duplicate Nate Bussey’s breakout year at Sam.  And a sophomore who I think can be a superstar.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Akeem Spence, Craig Wilson

(Do you know what I would give to be able to put Corey Liuget’s name in this space?  Does anyone understand what I would do?  We’re talking “accept a 3 year prison sentence later in life for just 13 more games from Corey Liuget” kind of stuff.  Seriously – if I could make some type of deal where Liuget plays one more year but I have to accept a 3-year prison sentence from, say, age 73-75, I’d think about it.  That’s a long way away, and we could go big-time bowling with Liuget…)

To preview the starting defensive tackles, I must first implement the Iowa Rule (for some reason, I always use Iowa for this rule).  You’re flipping through a preseason college football publication and you read that Iowa moved an offensive tackle to defensive tackle because attrition had left them with no scholarship seniors, juniors, or sophomores at that position besides the other starter.  And then you see that they recruited three freshmen defensive tackles for depth, but 2 of the 3 didn’t qualify and the third is in jail after assault charges.  You would think “holy crap, I don’t care what offensive lineman they move over there, their run defense is going to be abysmal this year”, wouldn’t you?  Sight unseen, no team can overcome having 1 scholarship senior, junior, or sophomore at a vital position like defensive tackle, right?  That’s the Iowa Rule.  If I saw this happen to a team I hate, I’d be celebrating their demise.

But that’s where we are.  Corey Liuget is gone.  So are Reggie Ellis and D’Angelo McCray and Ugu Uzodinma. Clint Tucker and Willie Beavers never got here.  Chris Jones got here but went directly to jail without passing go.

So we moved Craig Wilson over.  And truth be told, I think he can do an admirable job.  He’s crazy big and surprisingly mobile.  If he can throw his weight around and clog up the middle, I think he can do a decent job as a nose tackle.  But that’s as far as I can take it.  Other teams spend 3 years training big guys like Craig how to play defensive tackle before unleashing them on the Big Ten.  Wilson gets a 6 month crash course and is then tossed to the Red Wolves.  Best of luck, big man.

OK, I saved the best for last.  All is not lost.  We do have one scholarship defensive tackle who arrived as a defensive tackle and has stayed at defensive tackle to play defensive tackle.  The really good news: he was on just about every Freshman All American Team last year.  The bad news about that: Freshman All American teams are sometimes just “Freshmen Who Played A Lot” lists.  The good news about that: Freshmen who find the field are usually pretty good.

And I think Akeem Spence is pretty good.  Maybe really, really good.  But there’s one big question mark this season: can he play the 3-technique?  He was the shade defensive tackle last year, clogging up the middle and allowing Martez Wilson to make plays.  This year, with Liuget gone, he moves over to the 3-tech.  Can he be an offense-disrupter like Liuget, seemingly spending half the game in the offensive backfield?  No – probably won’t have another defensive tackle like that for 20 years.  But he can be Liuget-lite.  We really need a Liuget-lite.

Backups: Wisdom Onyegbule, Austin Teitsma, Jake Howe

Go over to that Michigan State fan in your office.  Tell him you have a Big Ten roster question.  If he gets it right, he gets $1,000.  If he doesn’t, you get $5.  When he agrees, ask him to name one – just one – of Illinois’ backup defensive tackles.  Easiest $5 ever.

Again, when I use the Iowa Rule, our situation looks bleak.  A high school fullback we asked to gain 60 pounds and play DT – he’s now a redshirt freshman.  A high school wrestler we put at DT and are asked to be an undersized pest – also a redshirt freshman.  And a senior walkon.  If Iowa was in this situation, I’d snicker.  But it is what it is.

First guy off the bench will be Onyegbule.  Wisdom played in 5 games last year, including the Texas Bowl.  In my opinion, he was clearly ahead of Teitmsa and Howe in Rantoul, so I think he’ll be our third guy.  If all goes right, Onyegbule could be more than just All Name Team by the end of the season. Could be a great story:  walkon who perseveres, earns a scholarship as a senior, and contributes at a position where the team desperately needs some depth.

Teitsma would be next, in my estimation. Actually, that’s not true – Howe might be the 4th guy.  I’ll put it like this: Teitsma is probably more ready technique and motor-wise, but he still needs to gain weight and strength.  Howe is probably more ready size and strength-wise, but he’s still learning the position.  So I think we’ll use the redshirt freshmen situationally.  Against the run, it’s Howe.  Passing downs, it’s Teitsma.  Goal line, Howe.  Fast-paced opposing offense – Teitsma.

Ideally, Howe and Teitsma don’t have to play until 2013.  They get a full 3 years to learn the position and develop the strength and technique before getting tossed into battle.  But we don’t have that luxury.  Unless there’s some way to bring Corey Liuget back.

Wait, is there?

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Whitney Mercilus, Michael Buchanan

Any time now.  That’s how I’m going into the season with our primary pass rushers: any time you want to make The Leap, I’m ready for it.  Should be any time now.

Both Buchanan and Mercilus have the skill set and the talent and the experience.  Both are now upperclassmen.  Both have shown flashes as underclassmen that they could be the anchor of future defenses.  But both left me wanting more in Rantoul.

The boiled-down, bottom line truth about our defense: Corey Liuget is in the NFL.  And without Liuget, the entire defense – the ENTIRE defense – changes.  There will be less pressure from the middle, so we’ll need more pressure from the ends.  And without pressure from the ends, our improved secondary won’t have the opportunity to make plays.  And to get pressure off the corner, we need Mercilus and Buchanan to take a big step forward as juniors.  No pressure.

When you watch the defensive line drills, Mercilus certainly looks ready to play the part.  He’s probably our quickest defender off the ball, and he’s agile enough to get after the quarterback.  But when matched up with the first string offensive line in practice, he was neutralized.  And he seemed to struggle against the run.

Same with Buchanan.  I actually expect a bigger leap forward from Buchanan this year than Mercilus.  Given a year to learn the Bandit position, I think he can be a troublemaker.  But against our first string O-line, he looked weak against the run and he didn’t make much trouble.  It’s the great practice conundrum – is our defense weak against the run or is our offense just that good?  Unfortunately (and fortunately), I think it’s both.

Backups: Justin Staples, Glenn Foster, Tim Kynard

As of now, I think we’ll go 3-deep at defensive end but only 2-deep at Bandit.  We might rotate 3 guys there if true freshman Darius Caldwell is ready to play.  But as of now, I’ll guess that he redshirts and only Buchanan and Staples get snaps at Bandit.

Having watched several 2010 games recently, I kind of forgot how many big plays Justin Staples made last season.  The strip against Indiana.  The batted goal-line pass against Penn State.  He was solid backing up Buchanan last year, and I expect more of the same this year.  I still have this thought in my head that he could add 15 pounds and be a great pass-rusher from the defensive end position, but we need a solid backup at Bandit, so I guess that’s where he’ll stay.

At defensive end, the first option is Glenn Foster.  Foster played DT last year but was moved back to DE with Clay Nurse having graduated.  I’m not really sure what to expect out of Foster this year.  He’s a fourth year junior, which is usually when players take a big step forward.  But all these position changes probably haven’t been the best for his growth.

And with a few plays I saw in the last day I was in Rantoul, Tim Kynard might be right on his heels for the backup spot.  Kynard has made some nice progress since last year (or even last spring) in my eyes.  He’s just a redshirt sophomore, so he’s probably not there yet, but by the end of the season, I could see Kynard being a guy that has Illini fans checking their programs to see who #59 is.

Overall, I would say our pass rushers are still lacking a sure thing.  Most Big Ten football fans, when asked who the guy will be that gets after the quarterback and holds the edge on run plays, have a guy who comes to mind immediately.  For Illini fans, we probably don’t have that guy yet.  And that’s a problem.  We need someone like Whitney Mercilus to step forward not only as a pass rusher, but as a leader of the defense.

And if Buchanan wanted to step forward too, I’d be down.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Jeff Allen, Michael Heitz

If we made a “we know what we’re going to get” list of all 22 starters, I think Jeff Allen would be first.  And Michael Heitz might be last.

We know exactly what Jeff Allen will bring.  I’ve probably said it 11 times this month, but I’ll say it again: I think he’s the best offensive tackle in the Big Ten.  And I think he’ll go out with a bang.  From protecting Nate’s blind side to mauling defensive ends, I can see him making a run at some postseason trophies if we have a good season.  I think the offensive line might be the strength of this entire team, and if we put up big offensive numbers, I could see many people hopping on the Jeff Allen bandwagon.

Conversely, we know next to nothing about Michael Heitz.  He’s never played a down of college football. He’s from a high school so small I’m not sure if game film exists.  He was an out-of-nowhere recruit who, when he signed, made everyone say “who?” (hey – kinda like Jeff Allen).  Actually, now that I think about it, there’s probably a 4% chance that Michael Heitz is a zombie.  4%, people.

The good news: he looks the part.  Another thing I’ve probably said 11 times this month: Heitz just looks like the typical Wisconsin offensive lineman: big arms, big hands, big boy.  Even though it pains me to look up to them, I like that we’re getting offensive linemen who had Wisconsin offers like Heitz and Chris Boles. And every time I mention the Wisconsin offer, I have to quote this Heitz story…

That started a series of camps and college visits that would put Michael in position to become a Big Ten prospect. He was invited to camps at Western Illinois and Illinois State and combines in Indianapolis and Atlanta.

Heitz had solid showings leading to his big break: an invitation to the Football University training camps in Kansas City and Orlando. The latter featured top prospects in the nation.

“I went there against some bigger schools and they were like, ‘How did you even get there?’ ” Heitz said. “Sometimes I was thinking the same thing, but we went up against each other and I just had to remember my technique, go as hard as I can and it worked out good.”

Heitz met Jim McNally, an NFL offensive line coach for 28 years, in Orlando. After coaching Heitz for three days, McNally approached the South Fulton lineman and propositioned him: tell me your dream schools, and I’ll get you there.

At the top of Heitz’s list was Illinois, a school that had kept an eye on the South Fulton lineman since he passed Kurt Beathard’s “visual test,” according to Wilson, when the former UI assistant met Heitz at the school in the spring.

Illinois gave Heitz – who had offers from Northern Illinois, Western Illinois and Illinois State – his biggest scholarship offer to date.

“It was a miracle,” said Kelly Heitz, Michael’s mother.

Wisconsin offered days later, but Heitz was sold on Illinois from the minute Ron Zook interrupted his workday at the family farm with a scholarship offer.

“Coming from around here, everybody is Illinois fans,” Heitz said. “Everybody has something Illinois in their house. It was pretty much an easy decision.”

I love three parts of that story:

1) An NFL offensive line coach saw something in Heitz.
2) That coach cared enough to get involved and lobby for a scholarship offer from his dream school.
3) His dream school was Illinois.

Now, the big question: Will Heitz keep the job when Corey Lewis returns from his knee injury some time in October? Part of me hopes not. We could really use a healthy Corey Lewis the next two years. If they split time at tackle this year and then both start next fall, well, that’s probably the best scenario for us. Bring Heitz along slowly and get Lewis ready for his left tackle duties next fall.

Backups: Corey Lewis, Simon Cvijanovic, Scott McDowell, Pat Flavin

Let’s go in reverse order. First, I think Flavin redshirts. He’s a tall kid with long arms, but he needs 35 pounds and Lou Hernandez arms. He has good footwork, and if the weakside tackle position is an issue I suppose he could play this year, but I’m fairly positive that Flavin needs 24 months of weights and food before he’s ready.

McDowell is probably closer to contributing (although I think Flavin has the higher ceiling because of his frame). One time when watching McDowell in a blocking drill at Camp Rantoul, he kind of reminded me of a freshman Hugh Thornton. Perhaps an eventual move to guard is in order?

Cvijanovic was battling for a starting spot with Michael Heitz in camp, but I think it’s pretty clear that Heitz was well ahead.  Again, because of Corey Lewis’ injury, we’re trying to rush two redshirt freshmen on the field a year or two too early.  I would put Heitz in the category of “might be ready”.  Cvijanovic would get a “probably isn’t ready”.

Lewis we covered above a bit, so let’s go back and review his career.  He was originally committed to Virginia but eventually backed out and picked Illinois over Penn State.  He played as a true freshman in 2008 (just like Jeff Allen played as a true freshman), but couldn’t win the starting right tackle position in 2009 (we eventually settled on Hugh Thornton).  He then has a great spring in 2010 and wins the starting strongside tackle position over Ryan Palmer… only to tear his ACL in the spring game.  He rehabs and is ready to go after the starting strongside tackle position again… but he hurt the knee again in February and still isn’t fully recovered.

At this point, he has to be a huge question mark.  Is the knee fully healed? Is he the right kind of tackle for Petrino’s scheme? And if he’s cleared to play October 1, how long before he is game-ready?  He hasn’t played a single minute of live football in a long time. (Of course, Michael Heitz hasn’t played a single minute of football ever, so there you go.  Also – Michael Heitz might be a zombie.)

Bottom line for offensive tackles:  We have the biggest sure thing on our offense.  And the biggest unknown on the team.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Hugh Thornton, Graham Pocic, Jack Cornell

That was easy.  These three starters were as safe as any starter on the team in Camp Rantoul.  I’ll get to the struggle to find backups in a bit, but Hugh, Graham, and Jack are clearly our three best interior linemen.  All three have a chance at All Big Ten honors.

Actually, Thornton and Cornell probably have a better chance than Pocic.  But that’s only because the Big Ten is so deep at center.  By the end of the year, Graham Pocic might be the 7th best center in the country but only the 4th best in the Big Ten.  But next year, I think Graham can contend for first team All Big Ten.  He good.

And Thornton and Cornell are no slouches either.  I watched a bit of the Northwestern game and the Texas Bowl the other night, and these two were just dominating in the run game.  Thornton might get a little more press, mainly because he’s been starting since he was a true freshman, but Cornell is no slouch.  The Big Ten isn’t as deep at guard as it is at tackle and center, so I could see Big Jack getting some All Big Ten love at the end of the season.  Maybe not first team, but I think he’s good enough to find his name on there.

All of that to say: I feel really good about the offensive line.  I was thinking about our offensive lines the last 10 years the other day driving home from work (what am I supposed to do – listen to the radio?), and I think I would easily put this line in the top-3 with the 2007 offensive line and the 2002 line.  If we can get right tackle figured out, I think there’s a chance this line could be the top Illini offensive line of the 2000′s.

And Adam Rittenberg of ESPN might agree.  When he did his preseason rankings, he listed Jeff Allen as the third best tackle in the conference (personally, especially with Mike Adams suspended, I think he’s the best), he had Graham Pocic as the fifth best center, and he had Hugh Thornton as the third best guard.  The only other team to have a guy listed at all three positions was Wisconsin.

This will be a solid offensive line.  Led by the interior.

Backups: Tyler Sands, Jake Feldmeyer, Alex Hill

Did you hear that?  The record player that was just playing Kool and the Gang “Celebration” in the background while you read about the starters?  It just scratched off.

I had two concerns leaving Rantoul. 1) Defensive depth, especially on the line. 2) The significant drop-off from the offensive line starters to the backups.  Last year at this time, you could tell that Jack Cornell was clearly the 6th Beetle on the offensive line.  He was getting lots of reps with the first sting and was basically an extra starter.  The same could be said for Randall Hunt a few years ago and Eric Block the year before that.  As I’ve said in this space several times, we always have a “6th man”.

This year, I still don’t think we have a 6th man.  It should be Tyler Sands, but I’m not sure if he’s there yet.  It could be Alex Hill, but he’s still just a redshirt freshman trying to get his body in shape.  There’s a chance it’s Jake Feldmeyer, but he seems slotted to be our starter at center the year after Pocic leaves.  What was evident in past camps just wasn’t obvious this time – I have no idea who that guy might be.

My guess, for now, is that it will be Sands.  He’s a redshirt junior now – that’s when Eric Block and Randall Hunt and Jack Cornell started to emerge.  It’s his time.  But too many times while watching drills – especially one-on-one drills with the defensive line – Sands would get beat by his opponent.  He really needs to step forward because the job should be his.

If not, maybe Alex Hill is the guy.  He showed up last year as the player most needing Body By Lou, and he appears in better shape this summer than he was a year ago (or even in the spring).  He’s mobile too – looks really good in pulling guard drills.  But he’s still just a redshirt freshman.  In my mind, he needs a full two years as a backup before taking over for Hugh Thornton in 2013.

Maybe I’m not giving Feldmeyer enough credit.  Eric Block was stuck at backup center for a long time, but then he started to get work at the guard positions when he found the field.  Maybe Feldmeyer, who is a redshirt sophomore now, will surprise by finding his way into the interior rotation this fall.

Bottom line:  I couldn’t be more excited about the starters.  I couldn’t be more confused as to who the backups might be when the starters need a breather.  Which means I’m pretty worried right now about future offensive lines.  Which means I’m an Illini fan.

OK, I made that up.  But in practice, it seems that way.  When they go to individual drills, 6 guys go work with Ron West – 3 bandits and 3 Sam linebackers.  16 guys go work with Paul Petrino.  Usually, the offensive line group is the biggest.  This year, I think it’s the wideouts.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: AJ Jenkins, Darius Millines, Ryan Lankford, Spencer Harris

Yes, 4.  Because it would be totally unfair to list Lankford or Harris with the back-ups (it would probably be Lankford, because Harris is our starting slot guy).

Jenkins you know.  Encouraging freshman year, terrible sophomore year where he didn’t gel with the offensive coordinator and announced he was transferring before reconsidering, and then fantastic junior season.  I’ve long maintained that AJ’s great junior season was tainted by the fact that we were a run first, second, third, and fourth and then pass fifth team.  Put Kurt Kittner at QB and use Ron Turner’s offense, and AJ is probably breaking records last year.  He was the first and second option at all times.

So AJ we know.  But the sophomores are what caught my eye at Camp Rantoul.  I’ve probably said it 23 times already, but I’m really, really, really excited to see what Nathan Scheelhaase can do with Millines-Lankford-Harris the next three years.  The best comparison is Kittner with Lloyd-Young-Moorehead-Lewis.  Give a QB the same options for multiple years and watch the passing game improve game by game.

Playing the role of Brandon Lloyd – Mr. Darius Millines.  Probably not fair to compare him to the leading receiver in the NFL last year, but I think he’ll play there on Sundays.  I couldn’t have been more impressed with Millines in Rantoul.  So quick, so athletic in the air, so great blocking, such great routes.  I just feel like the sky is the limit for this kid.  The last time I was this excited about two true sophomores (Millines and Jonathan Brown) was probably Eugene Wilson and Brandon Lloyd in 2000 (before Lloyd came down wrong and was out for the season, of course).  I’m finding it hard to tell myself “they’re sophomores and starting for the first time – it will take a full year of growth before they can be awesome”.

Lankford and Harris can play the roles of Lewis and Young.  Lewis for Lankford because he can be the reliable guy who knows how to separate from defensive backs, and Young for Harris because he can go up and get it, even with defenders in his face.  Harris has to be careful about the push-off – he’s very crafty in the air – but I can’t wait for his first seam route this season.

Back-ups: Fred Sykes, Brandon Clear, Anthony Williams, Jordan Frysinger, Jake Kumerow, Fritz Rock, Kenny Knight, Jeremy Whitlow, Peter Bonahoom

I mean, seriously.  How many wide receivers do we need?  I don’t think I even listed them all.  There’s a few walk-ons and maybe even a scholarship guy that I missed.

I listed them all because I have no idea who the 5th guy will be.  No idea at all – none.  At each practice I saw in Rantoul, it changed.  First I thought it might be Frysinger – he was running some of the same routes that Spencer Harris was running from the slot.  We need a backup there, and I thought maybe Frysinger was the guy.  But he’s young and still learning the wide receiver position, so maybe he’ll redshirt.

Then I thought it might be Brandon Clear.  He caught a few deep balls, and as a 5th year senior (transfer from Clemson), I figured he would know enough about routes and blocking to break through as the 5th guy.  I also looked long and hard at Jake Kumerow (who stuck out in the spring) and Anthony Williams (who certainly looks the part with his long arms and long stride).  And after Fred Sykes returned from an injury, I realized I was forgetting about him and that he might very well be that 5th guy.

And there’s also the freshmen.  Kenny Knight did some nice things in practice, and he has the height that we need.  And I never got to see my film favorite from signing day (Jeremy Whitlow) in action because of a bum ankle.  If the ankle is healed now, maybe he’s at practice tearing it up and climbing the depth chart.  And there’s also this Bonahoom kid – Miles Osei’s top target from Prospect HS who walked on at Illinois – he seemed to be a Paul Petrino favorite because of his work ethic.  Does it mean he’ll get some reps on the field?  Doubtful, but I wouldn’t put anything past Petrino.

Bottom line – there are four clear go-to receivers and a wide open competition for the 5th and 6th slots.  If you twisted my arm on the last day I was at camp and asked me who those guys would be, I would have said Jordan Frysinger and Brandon Clear.  But I’ve already changed my mind 6 times since then.

Aug. 22: Quarterbacks
Aug. 23: Running Backs
Aug. 24: Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Aug. 25: Wide Receivers
Aug. 26: Offensive Guards/Centers
Aug. 27: Offensive Tackles
Aug. 28: Defensive Ends/Bandits
Aug. 29: Defensive Tackles
Aug. 30: Linebackers
Aug. 31: Cornerbacks
Sept. 1: Safeties
Sept. 2: Kickers/Punters/Returners
Sept. 3: FOOTBALL. Football football FOOTBALL.

Starters: Evan Wilson, Jay Prosch

I considered putting three starters here, because a lot of the time, we’ll be in twin-TE sets.  Sometimes with a fullback, sometimes without the fullback.  Sometimes, we spell the fullback.  But I’ll leave it at two because these are the main two guys.

Have you ever felt like you know more about a true sophomore than Jay Prosch?  When Martez was a true sophomore, we still weren’t sure what we were going to get.  When J Leman was a sophomore, we still didn’t know he’d be awesome.  Jay Prosch, we know exactly what we’re getting: a 6th offensive lineman who gets a running start.

I asked Prosch this spring about his path to starting fullback in Champaign.  As a high school junior, he was a first team all state offensive guard in Alabama.  His coaches thought his best chance at a scholarship would be to slim down a bit and play linebacker, so he switched to defense as a senior (while still being used as a blocking fullback on the offense).  Several programs offered him as a linebacker, but Illinois, who got involved late, saw him as a fullback.  He felt good about smashing people for a living, so he signed on.  But not before his home-state Alabama Crimson Tide made a run at him the morning of signing day.  It was hard to turn down, but he felt he had given his word to Coach Zook, so he signed the LOI and sent it to Champaign.  8 months later, he was probably the best fullback in the Big Ten.  Watch tape of the Northwestern game, and you’ll see one of the finest blocking performances by a fullback in Illini history.

Evan Wilson took a different path, although the result was somewhat the same.  In high school, he wasn’t used as a pass catcher very much – 15 receptions as a junior, 13 as a senior.  He was headed to Middle Tennessee State before a new Illini offense coaching staff with southern connections went searching for a tight end.

Fast forward 6 months, and Wilson left his first Camp Rantoul as the starting tight end.  He had 10 catches last season, with two touchdowns (let’s see if I can remember those. One was the Ford halfback pass against Penn State, the other one… SIU maybe?  No – SIU is when he got tackled just short of the goal line.  Wait – Indiana.  That was the other TD.  Same sideline, same corner of the endzone, except that time he was wide open.  This has been Illini Memories with Robert.  Thanks for listening.)

Back-ups: Zach Becker, Eddie Viliunas, Jon Davis, Matt LaCosse, Justin Lattimore, Chris Willett

Man, that’s a lot of backups. And I think all of them will play. Of course, with probably 4 different positions in our different offensive sets (fullback, traditional tight end, blocking tight end/h-back, route-running h-back), there’s plenty of different looks for each guy to give us something different.  I think it will look something like this.

Our base offense is Evan Wilson at tight end and Jay Prosch at fullback.  We also have what I’ll call the “suck it, Northwestern” formation where we have twin tight ends and a fullback blowing up hapless defensive linemen and linebackers.  When we go to that set, I think it’s Prosch at fullback, Wilson at tight end, and our newest scholarship recipient, Eddie Viliunas, at blocking tight end/h-back.  I think we’ll see that formation a lot – this team is built for running people over.  If fully recovered from all the foot injuries, I think you might see Zach Becker at that blocking TE position as well.  And maybe some tight end.  And possibly a little fullback.

When we get creative, I think we’ll use the freshmen.  Let’s call this one the “yeah, they’re pretty athletic, aren’t they?” formation (a little clunky – doesn’t flow like the other one).  Line up LaCosse at tight end and Jon Davis at h-back.  Both were impressively fluid in Rantoul, and I think both get used in certain packages this fall.  I didn’t get to see as much of Davis as I would have liked to – he was injured in the Sunday scrimmage and didn’t participate again until the Wednesday evening practice – but he certainly is impressive in uniform.  Tall, strong, and fast.  As advertised.  And with Evan Wilson nursing a hamstring, Matt LaCosse got a fair number of reps with the first string at tight end.  He’s not as strong as Davis, and he has a lot to learn about blocking, but he’s tall and fast with good hands.  He and Reilly O’Toole seemed to have a rapport – look for lots of that in 2014.

I also think we’ll see a little Justin Lattimore (backing up Wilson at tight end) and Chris Willett (backing up Prosch at fullback).  If Becker is healthy, maybe the only place we’ll see Willett is on special teams.  He has my early vote for the Aaron Gress Special Teams Maniac award.

All told, I feel pretty good about the fullbacks and tight ends.  The best news: Eddie Viliunas and Zach Becker are the only upperclassmen.  We’ll be seeing a lot from Wilson, Prosch, and Co. over the next 3 years.