It’s time to switch up the roster preview to the defense. When Illinois has been successful, the defense has always been one of the top units in the Big Ten. As a defensive coach, it is the area Lovie Smith will be expected to excel in. He will have to do it with a defense facing a lot of roster turnover, and an abundance of young players.
The Illinois defense is facing the tough task of replacing five seniors, and their five top players on the defensive line. The Illini defense was effective for small stretches in 2016, and that was due to the play of the upperclassmen led by Dawuane Smoot and Carroll Phillips, who are now both on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roster.