The morning of Dec. 22, 2017 was tense for Illini football fans.
Rumors had been swirling for hours that Verdis Brown, a former Florida State commit who had been hinting at a pledge to the Illini in recent weeks, was instead leaning toward signing his National Letter of Intent with Missouri. Fortunately, Illini fans were able to give a collective sigh of relief as Brown donned the Illini hat and sent his NLI to Champaign.
It’s tough to overstate Verdis Brown’s effect for the Illini. A few key traits that jump out after watching his defensive film is his burst when getting into the backfield and speed when chasing down opposing ballcarriers.