Illinois football needs answers on offense. Could some of those answers be true freshmen?

There were some bright spots in Illinois‘ 30-13 home loss to Penn State. “The Firm” of Jer’Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph, Jr. had their best game of the season. The defense held Penn State quarterback Drew Allar to 5.9 yards per attempt and under 50% completions. The defensive front had its most consistent game against the run, limiting Penn State backs to 4.1 yards per rush attempt. Unfortunately, the offense still has issues.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer threw four interceptions, putting the defense in difficult positions all game. He was benched for Ball State transfer John Paddock, who fared better, throwing the only touchdown pass for the Illini.

Should the Illinois football turn to Paddock over Altmyer?

Though Paddock played better than Altmyer, it won’t matter if the offensive line doesn’t play better. Paddock threw the football well after settling in. Does that mean he gives the Illini a better chance to win? That’s hard to say. If Paddock plays well against Florida Atlantic, does that mean he’ll fare better in conference play?

In addition to quarterback, the Illini need another running back to step up next to Reggie Love III. Josh McCray has struggled, averaging just 2.5 yards per rush attempt. Frosh running back Kaden Feagin got some carries, but McCray might have to carry the load until someone plays well enough to get meaningful carries.

The best receivers on the field were freshmen.

Altmyer tried to push the football down the field. A couple of his interceptions were because his receivers could not separate from Penn State’s defensive backs. However, freshman receiver Kenari Wilcher had the biggest catch of the day, a 47-yard reception. And fellow freshman Malik Elzy hauled in a nice touchdown reception on a 50/50 ball. The Illini play a struggling FAU team this weekend. There is nothing wrong with giving Elzy, Wilcher, Ashton Hollins, and Hank Beatty some meaningful snaps to see what you have.

They will have to figure out the running game and the explosive passing game before they get into the meat and potatoes of their conference schedule.

Former Illinois Football Star to make NFL Debut Sunday

Illinois football needs a pick me up. The first three games have certainly left fans wanting more. Though the season is not lost, Illinois Football seems to have lost the buzz they created to start the season. They were not expected to beat Penn State, however they fizzled off after a decent start. Luke Altmyer, the teams sole bright spot after two games, had his worst game of the season. Who knows how the rest of the season plays out at this point. On a bright note, Devon Witherspoon will officially make his NFL debut.

After a series of injuries that kept him out of the preseason and the first game of the regular season, Devon Witherspoon is available this Sunday.

🚨BREAKING:#Seahawks Devon Witherspoon to play against the #Lions 🫡:

[📸: Steven Bisig/USA Today] pic.twitter.com/ZTqBHXqZPD

— HawkMania (@hawkmania4) September 11, 2023

Devon Witherspoon was a joy to watch

The Illini could use Devon Witherspoon, Quan Martin and Sydney Brown. All three players were supremely talented, however they had that veteran savvy that this current team really lacks. Witherspoon adored himself to fans from day one. He played with a consistent edge and rarely gave up back-breaking plays. Though Xavier Scott has been solid in his sophomore year, he has notably given up some chunk plays. Witherspoon will likely need some time to adjust to the NFL speed. Despite this, I am so intrigued to see how Witherspoon’s speed and instincts translate to the professional ranks.

Witherspoon will play the Detroit Lions offense. Amon-ra St Brown is a star WR, however I do think that Witherspoon will play intermittently on some of the other Lions. Of note, Kerby Joseph is a full time starter on the Detroit Lions defense.

Pete Carroll was asked whether Devon Witherspoon practiced this week at nickel or left cornerback.

“He’s practicing all over the place.”

— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) September 15, 2023

Good vibes from the NFL.

Honestly, the last thing I wanted to do was write a recap of the Illinois-Penn State game. We know that the team is struggling to find themselves. For now, I will turn my attention to the few Illini battling it out there on Sunday afternoons.

Illinois Football players who made NFL Rosters

Illinois Football may not have the biggest NFL presence. After a tumultuous decade under Tim Beckman and Lovie Smith, the Illini presence has seemingly dwindled in the NFL. Though Lovie Smith recruited some of these players to Illinois, The Bret Bielema era has focused on improvement and sustained reliability. Players are learning strong habits that stick with them on their journeys to becoming professional football players. Whether they are drafted or undrafted, Illinois Football is slowly growing their presence in the professional ranks.

The list will certainly grow. Players like Johnny Newton, Keith Randolph, Isaiah Adams and more could probably be on NFL rosters this very moment. However, these guys came back to further their college legacy and to further solidify their draft prospects. Illinois continues to win power-five recruiting battles which also ensures that their presence will continue to grow.

The Class of 2023:

To start, I wanted to highlight the players who just graduated from Illinois. These players are probably the most familiar. They were a huge reason why Illinois Football had its best season in quite some time.

1. Devon Witherspoon (Seattle Seahawks
2. Quan Martin (Washington Commanders)
3. Sydney Brown (Philadelphia Eagles)
4. Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals)
5. Tommy Devito (New York Giants)
6. Isaac Darkangelo (Las Vegas Raiders)
7. Alex Palczewski (Denver Broncos)

The first four players were all 2023 NFL Draft picks. Witherspoon made history and was the fifth overall pick in the draft. Though he was limited by a preseason, Witherspoon is carrying the DB U flag into the NFL. Quan Martin and Sydney Brown probably had the most successful preseasons as they continued to make plays and impress their coaching staff. Notably, Kendall Smith made some plays on the Washington Commanders, however was cut.  Chase Brown struggled this preseason. Brown had 28 carries for 69 yards, however did catch the ball well out of the backfield.

Tommy Devito was very impressive. He threw for 453 yards at a 67 percent completion rate. He had two touchdowns and two interceptions. The two interceptions included one end of the game Hail Mary.

Dime from Tommy Devito here. Another solid outing from the guy pic.twitter.com/gKOUnxkUHY

— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) August 27, 2023

A closer look at the Quan Martin hit! pic.twitter.com/EQaJHObAcN

— Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) August 26, 2023

Other notable alums

1. Kendrick Green (Houston Texans)
2. Jake Hansen (Houston Texans)
3. Vederian Lowe (New England Patriots)
4. Del’Shawn Phillips (Baltimore Ravens)
5. Doug Kramer (Chicago Bears)
6. Ted Karras (Cincinnati Bengals)
7. Kerby Joseph (Detroit Lions)
8. Dawuane Smoot (Jacksonville Jaguars)
9. Jihad Ward (New York Giants)
10. Nate Hobbs (Las Vegas Raiders)
11. Nick Allegretti (Kansas City Chiefs)
12. Tony Adams (New York Jets)
13. Justin Hardee (New York Jets)
14. Chase Mclaughlin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Quite the list! Most of these players were just in Champaign trying to win on Lovie Smith’s roster. There are many more players such as Owen Carney, Kendall Smith and Clayton Fejedelem who are trying their best to get back onto NFL rosters. James Mccourt is also a player that has potential. Despite this, Illinois Football is growing its presence. That presence will only grow.