Back to the Illinois Fighting Illini Newsfeed

Stock & Shop - Linebacker

When your head coach notably launched the careers of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs and your defensive coordinator is a 5-time Pro Bowl linebacker, you’d figure bringing in playmakers at the second level would be the easiest recruiting trick going.

Think again.

Stock

Several marquee linebacking misses and a couple experienced transfers this past offseason have put the current stable in a precarious position. The 2018 year has a lot riding on health, and 2019 and beyond dependent on turning some tides. Lovie’s defense, and good college defenses in general, need their linebackers to be stout enough to make plays against the run, but athletic enough to make plays against much quicker players in space.