College Football

Illinois Football: Top 5 Recruits Who Will Impact the 2017 Season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:35 p.m. ET

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Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 48-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Illinois football team has a lot of talent coming in from the class of 2017.

This talent will be the building blocks for the future great teams in the history of this program.

Here are the five impact recruits for 2017.

OLB Del’Shawn Phillips

Heading into spring practice, Illinois needs to find a replacement for former starting middle linebacker, Hardy Nickerson.

Nickerson led the team in tackles last season with 107, and he also led the team in interceptions with two.

That is a lot of production to replace and one of the main reasons Del’Shawn Phillips is going to be so important to this team in 2017.

Phillips is a junior college transfer from Garden City Community College.  He was listed as a four-star recruit and picked the Illini over programs like Arizona, UCF, and Syracuse.

Right now, Phillips is slotted to start at middle linebacker heading into spring practice.  It is great he enrolled early so he can get acclimated to the power five conference speed.

If Phillips didn’t commit to Illinois they wouldn’t have had the depth they will have in 2017.

Behind Phillips is sophomore Dele’ Harding.  He played in nine games last season and most of that was on special teams.

Adding a player of Phillips caliber was important so the Illini didn’t lose much at the linebacker position.  I expect a big year out of him in 2017.

Sep 3, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Football fans wearing shirts with a message honoring new Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith enjoy activities in Grange Grove before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Murray State Racers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

WR Ricky Smalling

In 2017, the Illinois football team was going to have some serious question marks at the wide receiver position.

They had Desmond Cain transfer out of the program to start somewhere fresh and their No. 2 wide receiver Mike Dudek is coming off back-to-back missed seasons due to injury.

But, Illinois did have Malik Turner coming back as their No. 1, though.  They still needed to add more depth.

That is where Ricky Smalling comes into play.  He was an extremely important commit for Lovie Smith and Garrick McGee.

Smalling is a four-star recruit out of Chicago, Illinois.  Not only was he a big-time get for Lovie, but he also proves that Illinois is winning back the state in recruiting.

Scout has Smalling listed as a 6-foot-1, 200-pound wide receiver who can run a 4.5-second 40-yard dash.  He is also the No. 48 wide receiver in the class of 2017 and the No. 2 wide receiver in Illinois.

Getting Smalling helps solidify the wide receiver position.  He has great talent and it wouldn’t surprise me if he competed for starting snaps within the first few games.

There is a lot of potential with this kid and he was needed.  There wasn’t a ton of depth for the Illini at wide receiver heading into 2017.

Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general shot of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

DE Owen Carney

The Illinois football team lost their entire opening day starting defensive line plus a back defensive tackle who was great as well.

The replacements at defensive end for Carroll Phillips and Dawuane Smoot are projected to be Sean Adesanya and Tito Odenigbo.

These two guys are solid players but Illinois clearly needed more depth and someone to potentially push these two for starting snaps.

I see that person being Owen Carney.

Carney was a three-star recruit from Miami, Florida.  He was a big-time get for Lovie from out of state and it proves he has a nice reach when it comes to recruiting.

Scout has Carney listed as a 6-foot-4, 229-pound defensive end who can run a 4.86-second 40-yard dash.  They also have him as the No. 42 defensive end in the class of 2017 and the No. 7 defensive end in Florida.

It is great that Carney decided to enroll early so he can participate in spring practice.  This will enable him to show the coaches he is the man for the starting job.

Carney was a huge snag for the Illini because he does provide depth and I wouldn’t doubt if he starts day one for this program.

I think Carney will be special for this team and he will be the next great Illini defensive end.

Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini seniors salute the crowd prior to a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

WR Carmoni Green

Like I mentioned earlier, Illinois needed wide receiver help heading into 2017.  They are a man down from last season with the Cain transfer and they needed better personnel.

Carmoni Green will help with building the depth of the wide receiver core.

Green was a three-star recruit from Miami, Florida.  He is listed at 6-foot-1, 192-pounds and was a highly recruited player the Illini received a commitment from.

Illinois had to beat out some pretty big programs to get Green to come to Champaign.  He took official visits to North Carolina, Utah, and Washington State.

But, Lovie pulled Green from Miami and proved again that he has a nice reach in recruiting.

Green is also rated as the No. 98 wide receiver in the class of 2017 and the No. 15 wide receiver in the state of Florida.

I am excited to see what Green can do on the football field.  He will be participating in spring practice because he was an early enrollee as well.

Right now, Green is projected to be the primary backup behind Sam Mays, but I could see that changing pretty quickly.

Mays had a good year last year but Green is extremely talented and will be able to show off during the spring, unlike most incoming freshmen.

I think we could see a lot of Green this season whether it be starting or the first man off the bench.  He will be a special player.

Oct 26, 2013; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini helmet on the field before the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

TE Louis Dorsey

The tight end position for the Illinois football team hasn’t been a big deal in quite some time.  This has also hurt the red zone offensive as well.

But, that might all be changing with the addition of Louis Dorsey.

The reason Dorsey is such a big deal to this program is because the future quarterback needs a big player to throw the ball to in the red zone.  This will enable the Illini to score more touchdowns.

Dorsey is listed as a three-star wide receiver out of Jacksonville, Florida.  This is another Florida kid and the recruiting pattern reminds me a lot of what Ron Zook did when he first started.

Lovie is going down to Florida and picking out some great talent.

Dorsey is the No. 73 wide receiver in the class of 2017 and the No. 11 wide receiver in the state of Florida.  He will be switching to tight end when he comes to Champaign, though

Illinois beat out Baylor and UCF to snag this talented player.

I am excited to see this kid on the football field.  Dorsey stands at 6-foot-6, 220-pounds and will be a main target for the quarterback.

I could see Dorsey taking away the starting job from Griffin Palmer day one because of his size and athletic ability.

Whatever happens with Dorsey, he will still be a great player and a centerpiece for the Illini for years to come.

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