Even though the Iliinois Fighting Illini ended 2021 with a 5-7 record, they still performed respectably in Bret Bielema’s first season. They were competititve in almost every game and had a few memorable upsets versus ranked opponents. But the offense — specifically the quarterback play — was Illinois’ glaring weakness.
Brandon Peters provided a safe, experienced veteran presence but he was unspectacular over his three seasons — in fairness, injury and concussion issues had a lot to do with that. Art Sitkowski entered this offseason as the likely incumbent, but he, too, was inconsistent and is coming off injury.