Outlook: The 2017 season was record breaking for Illinois. The cumulative starts made by the Illini freshmen were closer to triple than double the previous record set in 1977.
That, if nothing else, was evidence of Lovie Smith making a clean break from the previous coaching staffs. That continued in the offseason. More than a dozen transfers leaves the Illini with just 28 scholarship players on the roster that were signed by either Tim Beckman or Bill Cubit.
"We talk about Year 3 of the rebuild," Smith said. "When you start 15 true freshmen and one redshirt freshman, it tells you where you are and what you're doing with your program.