No. 3: Tre Watson, LB
Why he's important: Illinois lost one prolific tackler from the 2016 season after Hardy Nickerson exhausted his final year of eligibility last season with the Illini. But Watson returns after finishing second on the team with 102 tackles. That made him just the third underclassmen with 100-plus tackles in a single season since 2000 — even more notable because he didn't crack the starting lineup until the start of Big Ten play. That's where Watson was his most productive. He finished seventh in the conference in tackles per game (8.5) during the regular season and set a career high with 16 tackles in Illinois' come-from-behind win against Michigan State.