The 88 Illini: #44-#41
Another quick reminder that the latest 88 Illini post won't always be at the top. I published two articles the other day and "Blip" was in front of the latest 88 Illini post. So if you didn't see it (and I know many of you didn't because I can see the total number of subscribers who clicked on each article and the number for that post is half the other 88 Illini posts), #48-#45 can be found here.
(You're welcome. Don't want you to miss out on knowing who the 47th-most-important Illini will be for the upcoming season.)
With this post we (should be) entering the official two-deep. If the school released an official two-deep like they used to (Bielema does not do that), theoretically, these 44 players would be first-string and second-string at all 22 positions on offense and defense. I don't create this list like that – the fifth wide receiver will be on the field for hundreds of more snaps than the backup right tackle – but this is a good spot to move your brain to "OK, I'd better know these numbers."
And you'll need to learn their numbers. Care to guess how many players on this "the main 44 guys of the 88 Illini" are newcomers? Go ahead and guess. I'll give you a moment.
Sixteen. If I color-coded a two-deep, sixteen of the 44 names would show up as the same "newcomer to the program" color. None have been in Champaign more than six months. Now let me check last year's 88 Illini to see how many newcomers were in the top-44.
The answer? Nine. And only one of those (James Thompson at #9) was in the top-20 on last year's list. The other eight newcomers listed between #21 and #44 last year: Hudson Clement, Tomiwa Durojaiye, Leon Lowery, Justin Bowick, Curt Neal, Davin Stoffel, Carter Hewitt, and Ethan Hampton. The best way to frame all of this:
2025: One newcomer in the top-18 of The 88 Illini, 17 returnees
2026: Eight newcomers in the top-18 of The 88 Illini, 10 returnees
This is just the 14th different way to say the same thing this summer: it's a brand new team. It's much deeper than just "new quarterback + new linemen on both sides of the ball." This is the biggest two-deep change from one year to the next in the last... 10 seasons? I'd have to sit down and work out the numbers but it's been a long time. Off the top of my head the only one that would be close is 2017 when 15 true freshmen started at least one game.
It's gonna be a grab-your-program year. But it's not "can you play this many freshmen and still be OK?" It's a "we grabbed a senior QB and rebuilt the lines with jucos and portal guys" year. Can't wait to see how it goes.
To the next four players......
