Will Illinois' defense show some improvement this season? New co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Mike Phair seems to think so. In a Q&A with BTN.com, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant talked up senior defensive end Jihad Ward while providing some insight into his decision to join the Illini back in February.
Perhaps more importantly, though, he revealed that the play calling duties have been "very open" between him and Tim Banks. Having co-defensive coordinators will be an ongoing experiment, but surely the results can't be any worse than last season. In 2014, the Illinois defense ranked among the worst in the country.