CHAMPAIGN — The last 30 seasons of Illinois football have had pockets of quarterback stability where one quarterback led the team the entire year.
Jason Verduzco did it in the early 1990s. So did Kurt Kittner later in that same decade before ultimately guiding the Illini to a Sugar Bowl appearance. Juice Williams and Nathan Scheelhaase were both constants in the Illinois offense in the last decade and the start of this one.
But quarterback instability — either through injuries or ineffectiveness — has defined the Illini offense the past two seasons. Three quarterbacks ultimately played in 2016 after Wes Lunt was injured.