6 underrated Illini key to Illinois’ 2023 success

The college football season is rapidly approaching. Starting battles are being won, and teams are determining their depth charts and rotations.

The Fighting Illini have some clear stars who will power the team in 2023, like Jer’Zhan Newton, Keith Randolph, Julian Pearl, and Isaiah Williams, as well as other clearly important great players like Luke Altmyer, Josh McCray, Isaiah Adams, and Tahveon Nicholson. But what about players flying under the radar, guys who aren’t getting the same attention, who have very important roles to play if Illinois is to have a successful season in 2023? Let’s take a look at some of those guys.

Defense:

OLB Alec Bryant

Illinois’ strength lies in the trenches defensively. They have studs across the front four, with Seth Coleman and Gabe Jacas occupying the EDGE/OLB spots next to the star DTs. But in the modern age of football, there’s a lot of rotation up front.

Enter Alec Bryant, a former 4-star recruit who didn’t play much last year…