Welcome to Illini Beat, your newest source for all things Illini. Ron Zook showed off his new roster Thursday as the Illini took the practice field for the first time since spring ball. The team worked in two squads with the Orange taking the field first. Here is a look at the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers who went first.
Coach Zook seemed as energetic as ever, high-fiving players during warm-ups and moving from drill to drill. The Orange squad featured senior QB Juice Williams, junior wide receivers Rejus Benn and Jarred Fayson, and U.S. Army All-American freshman Justin Green.
The talk of the summer has been the receivers who have been rated by some recruiting services as high as the number two unit in the nation. After watching Benn and Fayson on Thursday, the hype seems warranted. Both players showed great leadership both vocally and with their play. Benn has been double-teamed since the first snap he took at Illinois, but those days may be over. Fayson looked great running routes and snatching the ball out of the air. I think it would be safe to say that the young wideouts are learning from some of the best. Speaking of young wideouts, I was impressed with sophomore Cordale Scott who looked every bit of his 6' 3" listing. Fans were excited to grab Scott out of Cleveland Glenville, the same OSU pipeline school that produced Ted Ginn Jr. and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. He may be ready to live up to the excitement.
The Orange running backs included senior Daniel Dufrene, sophomore Mikel Leshoure, and the aforementioned Green. The drills were low contact, but you still got the sense that Green came to campus ready to compete. He grabs the ball out of the backfield and takes off with a great burst. Former Champaign Centennial product Mikel Leshoure has always been an imposing figure at 225 lbs., but after a great year in the weight room he looks much leaner. Dufrene was best in the pitch drills. He showed his maturity securing the ball.
The quarterbacks were throwing and running the option. Juice has obviously worked on his timing. He seemed poised and confident. It may only be the first practice, but you can tell Juice wants to leave Illinois the right way. Watching him work with quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was fun, because it's apparent that the younger guys really look up to him. Scheelhaase was mobile as advertised and was surprisingly accurate. If I had to choose something for him to work on, it would be arm strength.
Overall the offensive skill positions looked solid for a team starting a new season. There is a lot of talent but also a lot of experience. The Orange squad featured a number of key players for the Illini. The skill positions are looking good on offense, and that will be important as this team figures to score a lot of points.
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