[2024] Illini Depth Chart Breakdown

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Summer is officially over, which means the start of a new school year. More importantly, however, it is the beginning of a new season of Illini football. That means Illini football is back on the menu, but there are some roadblocks that the teams have to face to get back to their heights. First, this team is far from what they were last year. Many of the team's talent has since left, leaving the team with the bare bones. However, there is still plenty of optimism for some of the positions coming in. Although they might not be the best players in the league, the Illini are hopeful that these players will help bring this team back to glory, albeit it is a tough battle to begin with. With that in mind, here is how coaching genius nemolee.exe has his team set up his depth chart for the upcoming 2024 season. 

 

QUARTERBACK

Projected Depth Chart:

Jalen Jenkins - 4 Star Sr - B+/C - Winnfield (Winnfield, LA)

Miguel Dahl - 2 Star RS Jr - B-/B - Vista (Vista, CA)
Hector Arroyo - 3 Star RS Fr - C/B+ - Kaneland (Maple Park, IL)

 

Although having an up-and-down college career at this point, it seems as if Jalen Jenkins is the unanimous starting Quarterback for this upcoming year. Although much of his game could be well improved, his football IQ is too good to pass up. It is worth noting that Jenkins was the starter for the team last year. Last year, Jenkins had 1420 passing yards with a 53.18% completion rate, with a 13:4 touchdown to interception ratio. With a renewed spirit this year and much more well-versed in the game, Jenkins looks to improve from his 110.93 quarterback rating, and all signs point to him somewhat doing so for the year. Very much behind him is Miguel Dahl, a 2-star junior who was redshirted and will most likely take over for Jenkins last year unless the Illini go for the transfer portal. Waiting behind them is Hector Arroyo, who was red-shirted this year. If given a big boost in his play next season, he will have a chance to take the starting spot over Dahl. 

 

RUNNING BACK

Projected Depth Chart:

Jonathan Watson - 3 Star RS Jr - B+/A- - Narbonne (Harbor City, CA)

Matt McCain - 3 Star Sr - B+/C - Marlington (Alliance, OH)
Jose Rivera - 3 Star RS Fr - C/B+ - East St. Louis (East St. Louis, IL)

 

The running back room is expected to take a bit of a hit with Gabriel Adeboyejo's departure to the NFL. However, there is still a rejuvenated hope of a rather exciting running back in the wings. The Illini would have no problem replacing Gabriel's workload with one of their hidden gems. Redshirted last year, it seems like the Illini will be going with Jonathan Watson. Watson, a 3-Star recruit out of California, seems to be the best option for the Illini on the running game. The team sees potential in him to break through, which is why they red-shirted Watson last year. Just behind him is Matt McCain, a senior who played last year and who put up minimal stats. It seems like he will see some action as well – mostly in the receiving game. Behind both players is Jose Rivera, a redshirted freshman who has the opportunity to take the RB2 spot next year, and a player that the Illini were heavily on due to his stats coming out of recruiting last year. Also, having Luke Elsten redshirted, things are looking up for the running back class. 

 

FULLBACK

Projected Depth Chart:

Tyler Ossai - 3 Star Sr - B+/C - Port St. Joe (Port St. Joe, FL)

Ravinder Carbonel - 3 Star RS Fr - B/A - Kapa'a (Kapa'a, HI)

I do not have a lot of experience with this group, but there is some talent in this position. The starter last year, Ryan Manhertz, has graduated from the football program. Now, it is up to Tyler Ossai to take the role. Ossai was an understudy for Manhertz last year and seemed to be the clear-cut favorite to start in this position this year. But he's not the only one that has some potential to break through. After getting redshirted during his freshman year, Ravinder Carbonel was chosen to back up Ossai. With a very high potential, he seems like the obvious choice to take over Ossai next year, if not replace him as the number one option this year. 

 

WIDE RECEIVER

Projected Depth Chart:

Oscar Asuaje - 4 Star Sr - A-/C - Tomball (Tomball, TX)

Mitch Cabrera- 3 Star Sr - B/B - Bowie (Arlington, TX)

Ronald Willis - 3 Star So - B/A- - O'Connor (Helotes, TX)

William Meadows - 4 Star RS Fr - C/B+ - Tomball Memorial (Tomball, TX)

Hung Yu - 3 Star RS Fr- C/B - Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, CA)

Again, there is not much experience with this group, and it is concerning this time around. Last year's two top targets, Ty Shaffer and Joe Burwell have both left the program through graduation. With this unfortunate conundrum, it seems like the Illini will go with an almost entirely new wide receiving corps this year. Their best wide receiver is senior Oscar Asuaje, who looks to be a force to be reckoned with in the red zone. Right next to him at WR2 is fellow senior Mitch Cabrera, who is also a huge threat in the red zone. Then, at WR3, there is Ronald Wills, a sophomore receiver who would most likely be the top receiver for the team next year and has a high potential. Next up, we have a true freshman in the form of William Meadows, who could see some passes going his way in his first year. Finally, there is Hung Yu – who was redshirted during his freshman year. However, there is a chance that he most likely won't be on the cusp of playing a snap this. Overall, it was a concerning receiving group, but not the worst-case scenario for the team for the upcoming season. 

 

TIGHT END

Projected Depth Chart:

Oscar Klein - 2 Star Sr - C+/C - St. Teresa (Decatur, IL)

James Alexander - 3 Star Fr - C/C+ - Hasbrouck Heights (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ)

Demario Bayless- 3 Star Jr (FB) - B-/C+ - Brookfield East (Brookfield, WI)

This is easily the weakest position coming up this year. With Josh Jackson leaving the team, the tight-end position is rather thin, with only three in this position. Their best player at the position, Oscar Klein, is only a 2-star and isn't that big of a progressor, it seems. He did have some playing time last year, but he was on the weaker end in terms of receivers. The guys below him are no better. James Alexander is a 3-star, but he is a true freshman this year, and as of right now, he is not any better than Klein. The last tight end on the roster, 1-star junior Jarvis Lynn out of Aquinas, Georgia, is probably on the lower end of talent. In that case, the Illini decided that a fullback would be better suited for this position. Overall, it's not a good look for the Illini. Expect them to put emphasis on the transfer portal and recruiting board come next year. 

 

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

Projected Depth Chart:

Brandon Leuer - 3 Star Sr - A-/A- - Stroud (Stroud, OK)

Teddy Bolden- 3 Star Sr - B+/C+ - Fort Worth Christian (North Richland Hills, TX)

Eugene Allison - 3 Star So - B/C+ - Simeon (Chicago, IL)

Steven Branch - 3 Star So - B/C - Genoa-Kingston (Genoa, IL)

Da'Norris White is now playing in the NFL, but that does not mean that the Illini have no one to take his place. Brandon Leuer, who played right beside White last year, will take the reigns as the best offensive lineman for the job. Leuer was serviceable, only allowing three sacks on the year on a strong Illini offensive line. Leuer looks to take the role of the starter, being the more improved his year. Behind him is the looks of Teddy Bolden. He is also a senior but a new starter this year. We will only have to wait and see how he performs this year alongside Leuer. The Illini have two great backups behind them: Eugene Allison and Steven Branch, two sophomores who are most likely to be the starters come next year. 

 

OFFENSIVE GUARD

Projected Depth Chart:

Cameron Chung - 3 Star Sr - A/A - Beechwood (Fort Mitchell, KY)

Anthony Kohn - 2 Star Sr - B+/B+ - Bulloch Academy (Statesboro, GA)

Brian Reynolds - 3 Star RS Fr - B/A - Opelousas Catholic (Opelousas, LA)

Matt Gonzalez - 3 Star Jr - B-/C - Bishop McNamara (Forestville, MD)

Another position in which the Illini see a returning starter. Cameron Chung was great last year for the Illini. He had a total of 10 pancakes coupled with only one sack allowed. The best player on this roster by far, Chung looks to improve on last year's performance for the Illini. This time around, he has a new starter on his wings. Anthony Kohn is a senior, and although he is a 2-star, he has the potential to become the next building block for the Illini offensive line. The depth for the Illini in the backups also is very bright for the Illini. Brian Reynolds was a redshirt freshman last year and looks to be the long-term starter for the Illini, with himself situated under the guidance of Chung. The Illini also have Matt Gonzalez, who will enter his senior season and will be looking to make huge strides in improvement to solidify him as the starter next year. 

 

CENTER

Projected Depth Chart:

Thomas Keffer - 3 Star Fr - C/B+ - North Cobb Christian (Kennesaw, GA)

James Mahoney - 3 Star So - C/C - Central (Fresno, CA)

Jason Chirinos is no longer playing for the Illini, which makes the future at Center very bleak. The situation has gotten so bad that the Illini have looked toward a true freshman to start for the team. Although Thomas Keffer played well during his time in high school, it is unknown if he can keep it up at the college level. They named Keffer the starter over James Mahoney, who is practically at almost the same level as Keffer. Overall, it is an average but weak center class for the Illini. Look for the Illini to address the center position heavily if the Keffer experiment does not work out for them.

 

DEFENSIVE END

Projected Depth Chart:

Avonte Azuwie - 4 Star Sr - A/B  - Boston College High (Boston, MA)

Ed Stewart - 3 Star Sr - B/C - North Miami (North Miami, FL)

Allen Lacombe - 5 Star Fr - B/C+ - Evanston (Evanston, IL)

Luis Flaherty - 3 Star RS So - C+/A- - Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, PA)

This might be one of the best groups on the team. Headlining this team is perhaps one of the best players currently on the team. Avonte Azuwie is the only one with adequate playing time, as he recorded 37 tackles with 17 tackles for loss and five sacks. Azuwie hopes to improve on this respectable season, as he seems to be one of the team's best players on the defensive side of the board. Also starting, it seems, is another senior, Ed Stewart. He has played some minutes for the Illini but only recorded two tackles. Now that he has been propelled to the top spot, Stewart looks to play much better alongside one of the best ends in the Big Ten. The future even looks bright in this position. Right behind the two starters is the 5-star that the Illini captured – the first in history! Allen Lacombe seems to have all of the tools to be a future star for the Illini, if not in the college football scene. Behind them is Luis Flaherty, who the Illini seem to believe has the potential to be a starter for them. Overall, the defensive end group is probably a plus for the Illini this season. 

 

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Projected Depth Chart:

Phil Contreras - 3 Star Sr - B+/C  - Broughton (Raleigh, NC)

Denyi Knox - 3 Star Jr - B/B+ - Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield, IL)

Willie Dillard - 4 Star So - B/C+ - Clayton (Clayton, NC)

Touki Taylor- 2 Star Jr - C/C - Valley Center (Valley Center, CA)

Although the Illini's defensive ends were up to standard, the same cannot be said for the defensive tackles. With starter Vince Drummond out, the Illini's next choice would be a veteran who has also played some time for the club. Phil Contreras played under Drummond and hoped to take what he has learned as his understudy to excel in the newfound position he has found himself in. He has had some respectable numbers: 34 tackles with three tackles for loss – all being sacks – and a recovered fumble. Obviously, Contreras will clearly improve from these statistics for the Illini. The player suited as his understudy is junior Denyi Knox, who will most likely get some playing time himself and will definitely take over for Contreras next year. He wins the DT2 spot over Willie Dillard, who is only a 4-star. He might not be in a starting role for the time being, but he seems ready to take action to get a spot on the depth chart. Right behind him is Touki Taylor, who seems to be on the weaker side of the roster. He is also the fourth and last defensive tackle on the roster, but chances are he won't find himself taking a starter slot on the depth chart and will most likely be a benchwarmer for the season. Overall, it's not that strong of a position for the Illini, but it's still somewhat bright from the looks of it.

 

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

Projected Depth Chart:

Carlos Denorfia - 4 Star Sr - A-/B  - Temple (Temple, TX)

Hector Marx- 2 Star Sr - C+/C - Reading Memorial (Reading, MA)

Curtis Belcher- 4 Star So - C/C+ - Kennesaw Mountain (Kennesaw, GA)

David Lombardi- 3 Star Fr - C/C+ - North Union (Richwood, OH)

 

The outside linebacker group looks rather murky, especially with Rougned Utley's departure. However, it seems as if they have yet another superstar in the making. The Illini have yet another returning starter in Carlos Denorfia. He did not do much for the Illini last year, with only 19 tackles and three tackles for loss. However, he did have one forced fumble to his credit. Denorfia would like to improve from those stats last year, and here he is, the top linebacker in this scary defense group. Behind him is senior Hector Marx. He is only a 2-star but is excited to produce as the newfound starter of the group. Behind him is Curtis Belcher, a 4-star sophomore who is looking to take the reigns of the starting spot when both linebackers leave the team next year. Behind them is David Lombardi, who is only a true freshman but gives the Illini hope after a superb year in high school and looks to continue that trend with the Illini. Overall, it was not a bad class, but time and work will only tell if this team could hold to be a potentially good team in the future.

 

INSIDE LINEBACKER

Projected Depth Chart:

Kyle Thuney - 2 Star Sr - C+/B- - Holt (Holt, MI)

Malcolm Coleman - 2 Star RS So - C/A- - Winter Park (Winter Park, FL)

Edward Thomas - 3 Star So - C/C - Franklin Parish (Winnsboro, LA)

Kerry Coates - 3 Star Fr - C/C - Ferris (Spokane, WA)

 

Again, the inside group is very weak for the Illini compared to the outside group. In fact, this position is probably the weakest position group for the defense. The starter, Kyle Thuney, is just an average player, nothing special. He did get some time, but he played very minimal time and only recorded two tackles last year. Given that he is positioned at ILB1, he is looking to improve and hopefully show that he has what it takes to help this Illini defense. Right behind him is Malcolm Coleman, who was redshirted last season. He seems to have a lot of potential, but he has yet to show that potential and impress the Illini coaching staff. He gets the ILB2, though, due to his potential to be a potential starter and is clear-cut the ILB1 for the Illini as of now. The two that missed out on that spot are sophomore Edward Thomas and freshman Kerry Coates, but they don't really have that much to prove and are nothing special. They will most likely ride the bench for the season. Clearly, this position has been suffering since Michael Rozier left, and the Illini have a lot of work to do to help elevate this position forward. 

 

CORNERBACKS

Projected Depth Chart:

Jarvis King - 3 Star Sr - B+/B- - St. Francis (Wheaton, IL)

Austin Aybar - 3 Star Jr - B/C+ - West Mesquite (Mesquite, TX)

Wilkin Valaika- 2 Star RS Jr - B-/B+ - Upper St. Clair (Upper St. Clair, PA)

Luciano Calcano - 3 Star So - C/B - Steele Canyon (Spring Valley, WA)

Daniel Whitesitt - 2 Star Fr - C/B - Dover (Dover, OH)

 

The strong cornerback duo of Sam Voth and Adrian Swoopes is long gone, but the Illini still has a good outlook on the depth chart. Senior Jarvis King, who was the CB3 on the team last year, has made his way to the CB1 spot this year. He only had 24 tackles, but this has only made the Illini more determined to show his potential. He takes the #1 spot at the cornerback spot. Right next to him will be Austin Aybar, another player who has seen some time. He has had a bit worse numbers; however, he only had 11 total tackles. But still, he still had been impressive enough to steal away the CB2 spot. The only player starting at this position is Wilkin Valaika, but he redshirted last year. From the looks of it, however, he will be elevated from CB3 to CB2 at least next year. There are two more players who made the cut. Luciano Calcano also had some playing time last year, but he only recorded one single tackle. Freshman Daniel Whtiesitt rounds out this position on the depth chart, starting out as a true freshman. Only time will tell if this cornerback room can elevate itself over the top, but for now, this cornerback group is something that the Illini could be proud of. 

 

FREE SAFETY

Projected Depth Chart:

Duke Conforto - 3 Star Sr - A-/B - Iron Mountain (Iron Mountain, MI)

Stephen Furst - 3 Star RS Fr- C/A+ - Slidell (Slidell, LA)

 

The free safety position might not only be one of the best positions for the Illini for now but also might have the potential to continue being one of the best positions for the team. Starting this year is another senior in the form of Duke Conforto. He potentially might be the best player on the team, partially because he was also the best player on defense and is still on the team this year. Not only did he have 59 tackles last year, but he has also forced one fumble and intercepted the ball three times, not two mention one pass deflection. With such a great season underneath his belt, Duke seems to be heading toward being the best player on defense this season. Behind him in the depth chart is Stephen Furst. He is not much this year, but he seems to have extremely high potential, which the Illini see in him. He was also redshirted, so it seems like Furst will be the long-term starter for the foreseeable future. Overall, it was a pretty good free safety duo for the Illini, preparing for the present and the future.

 

STRONG SAFETY

Projected Depth Chart:

Izaah Ward - 3 Star Sr - B+/B- - Plant (Tampa, FL)

Lester Drummond - 3 Star Jr - B-/B- - Mainland Regional (Linwood, NJ)

 

Although not as strong as the free safety position, the Illini are surprisingly strong at the strong safety position as well, making a strong safety duo on the defensive side. This is because of Izaah Ward, who is returning for the Illini. He seems to be strong in his craft as well, as he also started for the Illini last year. He actually ended up getting 59 tackles last year but had arguably a better year than Conforto last year, with 59 tackles and two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, four interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns. He might be rusty from last year, but the hope is he plays as well as he is or better this year. Next year, under his wings, is Lester Drummond. Given how well he played in the spring game, he is by far the candidate to be the starter next season. It's not a bad, strong safety duo for the Illini, but time will tell if these two can compete with the rest of them.

 

KICKER

Projected Depth Chart:

Tyler Diaz - 4 Star Sr - A/B- - Cy-Fair (Cypress, TX)

Josh Borders- 3 Star RS So - B-/A - Kellogg (Denton, MI)

 

Now, we head over to special teams, and there is not much to say about this section. The kicker group is as good as it gets for the club. The starting kicker for the club is junior Tyler Diaz. Diaz actually ended up becoming the starting kicker last year as well, and he was pretty serviceable. Diaz was somewhat lasered in with a strong leg, Hitting 27 of 31 field goals, with the longest FG being 48 yards. He did miss two extra points, but he still had a good showing nonetheless. If the situation calls for it, Diaz seems to be ready for the season ahead and looks to improve on his performance. The person behind him is Josh Borders, who has good potential, but it is unknown how well he will be next year as there are a bunch of question marks on his game. It seems like the Illini are okay at the kicker position, with the future set somewhat in stone. 

 

PUNTER

Projected Depth Chart:

AJ Harrison - 4 Star Sr - B+/C+ - Murrieta Valley (Murrieta, CA)

Chasen Edmond - 3 Star Jr - B-/C+ - Palm Beach Central (Wellington, FL)

 

Finally, we get to the punters. Again, there is not much to say about this section. The club starter is A.J. Harrison, who has a strong leg and is the undisputed starter at the punter position. He got the call for the Illini last year and had 96 punts on the year, coupled with 50 punts inside the 20. Clearly, the Illini are all okay with this position. Unlike the kicker position, the punter position is unclear in terms of its future. The backup for the Illini is Chasen Edmond, who seems to be an issue for the Illini at the moment and could be replaced if the Illini look for someone better. A good punter is on the wings, but after him, it is unclear what the Illini will do at this position. 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

The Illini are looking to continue with their three years of success in the NCAA. However, with most of that talent long gone at this point, this future looks unclear. Thankfully, this roster looks average, and nemolee.exe has the potential to carry them over the top, but there is clearly a lot of work to do for the coach to bring them back up to the top. The best of the Illini is starting to wither away, but all hope is not lost, and the Illini are still looking for a fun season of Illini football. 

 

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Edited April 21 by nemolee.exe