Before the start of Illinois football's training camp on Aug. 2 in Champaign, beat writer Scott Richey is counting down the Top 50 most important Illini heading into the 2019 season:
No. 38: Calvin Avery
Vitals: 6-2, 330, So., DT
Hometown: Dallas
High school: Bishop Dunne
Looking back at 2018: Avery arrived at Illinois with some fairly lofty expectations. The consensus four-star recruit was ranked as high as No. 156 overall and as the No. 9 defensive tackle by Rivals, and he was the Illini's top overall prospect in the Class of 2018.