Why he's important: Lovie Smith ultimately built for now and the future when he worked then true freshman Green into the Illinois secondary last season as part of a partial youth movement for the Illini defense. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety played in 10 games and made seven starts. His first career snap also yielded the first of 62 tackles for his freshman season. Green's three forced fumbles tied for the most in the nation among freshmen during the regular season, and he made 10-plus tackles in three different games (at Wisconsin, at home against Iowa and at Michigan).
Top 50 most important Illini No. 13: Stanley Green, DB
