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Illinois Football: Lovie Smith Has Options at Quarterback
The quarterback position for the Illinois football team hasn’t been stable since roughly the 2013 season.
That year the Illinois defense couldn’t stop anyone, but Nathan Scheelhaase still threw for 3,272 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Since that season, the Illinois quarterback situation has been filled with promise that inevitably led to disappointment fueled by injuries and a lack of coaching.
The tides could be turning for the Illini, though. The quarterback position might be on the rise starting in 2017.
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The quarterback situation is slightly murky right now heading into the spring.
Returning quarterbacks Jeff George Jr and Chayce Crouch will have their chance to impressive in spring practice.
Both George and Crouch struggled at the traditional quarterback role of throwing the ball in 2016.
George finished the season with 470 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while completing only 40.4-percent of his throws.
Crouch wasn’t much better. He threw for 249 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception while completing 56.3-percent of his passes.
This duo will have their shot come spring, but the newcomers are the ones to watch out for in 2017.
Cam Thomas was the first quarterback to commit to Lovie Smith and the new regime in Champaign. He is an extremely talented player with athletic ability we have rarely seen.
I really like what Thomas brings to the table because where he lacks in arm talent, he makes up with speed. He has a good arm and amazing quickness.
The other commitment that came into the fold a little over a week ago is Dwayne Lawson.
Lawson is a former 4-star quarterback recruit who Lovie snagged to help build this program quicker.
There is a lot that I love about Lawson. He stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 225-pounds. This size will help him be able to take hits in the pocket.
Lawson also impresses me in the pocket. He is a throw first quarterback who has the ability to run. He reminds me a lot of Russell Wilson in that sense.
So, heading into 2017, Illinois has four quarterbacks that could potentially start for this program.
I think we all pretty much know what we are going to get with George and Crouch.
George is more of an arm talent that will take time to develop in the pocket. He isn’t going to scramble for very many yards if he needs to bail out.
Crouch has less of an arm than George but his legs are what make him a valuable asset to a team. He brought fire to the offense that was missing with George and Wes Lunt.
I also like Thomas but I think he will need a redshirt year to develop his skills a little more for the college level. I think he will be a superstar down the road, though.
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But, when it comes down to who will start in 2017, I think the decision will come down to Lawson and Crouch.
Both of these players have running ability, but I think Lawson will end up getting the starting job because he does have more arm talent than Crouch.
I can’t wait to see what Lawson can do on the field with a solid group of wide receivers.
Leading wide receiver Malik Turner will be back for his senior campaign and Mike Dudek will hopefully be returning after a two-year injury bug.
In addition to those two great wide receivers, Illinois has a lot of up-and-coming pass catchers on the team now and some that are coming in the class of 2017.
Carmoni Green, Ricky Smalling, and Kendall Smith will all be nice additions to the program next season. All of these wide receivers are going to be extremely important for the success of the team.
The quarterback situation is by no means set in stone, but it is nice that Lovie and Garrick McGee actually have options for 2017.
Getting quality football players into the program is a huge step in the right direction. Now all we have to do is start winning.
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