After Illinois’ best season under head coach Bret Bielema, fans will be excited to hear Joe Klatt’s bold prediction regarding the Fighting Illini next season.
Bret Bielema’s Illinois Destined for Greatness?
“I think Illinois can be an SMU-type team next season,” said Klatt on his show, referring to which teams will exceed expectations and make it to the College Football Playoff.
Klatt’s prediction holds a lot of merit, too. Illinois had its best season in decades and its first 10-win season since Ron Turner’s tenure in 2001. It beat South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl and ranked opponents Kansas, Nebraska, and former national champion Michigan.
These wins set the tone for a great season for the Fighting Illini, but you need a good roster to compete. Let’s see how their roster shaped up this season.
Illinois’ main strength this season was their defense, which ranked 31st out of 134 teams, which was a significant improvement from last year’s unit, which ranked 96th. It included players like LB Gabe Jacas, who led the team in sacks (8.0) and tackles for loss (13) while being second in tackles (74).
CB Xavier Scott led the team in interceptions (4) and even scored a pick-six. Aaron Henry’s unit averaged 1.3 takeaways per game, which, while good, is something that will need to be improved upon if this team looks to go further.
Illinois’ offense ranked 65th out of 134, which is still an improvement from last year’s 83rd ranking. Quarterback Luke Altmyer played well, finishing the season with 2717 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions with a completion percentage of 60.8%.
Their leading receiver was senior Pat Bryant with 984 yards and 10 touchdowns. Their running game was mostly a committee between Josh McCray, Aiden Laughery, and Kaden Feagin.
It’s worth noting that the offense has shown the ability to explode, as evidenced by its 50-point performance against Purdue and its strong three consecutive games scoring 30 or more points against Michigan State, Rutgers, and Northwestern to close out the regular season.
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Most of these key contributors are seniors, meaning that Illinois will have roster turnover. This is the new normal for all college football teams. However, for teams like Illinois, which struggles to find consistent year-over-year success, this is even more important.
In conclusion, considering the big wins and strides taken by Illinois, it’s not crazy to think the Illini can continue to make the next big leap and compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
That said, Illinois still needs to make improvements on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball if it wants to compete with the best teams in the country.
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