Illini's Bret Bielema Thinks D-Line Starts With Florida State transfer Dennis Briggs

Zachary Draves | Jul 25, 2024

Jul 23, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

The Fighting Illini's defensive line is looking to turn the page from an unspectacular 2023 season.

They finished the season ninth in the Big Ten in rushing defense after ranking third the previous year. They also dropped from third to eighth in PFF's in rush defense grading.

Their defensive pressure was also lacking.

Going into this year, coach Bret Bielema is excited to see a revitalized unit. It begins with Florida State transfer Dennis Briggs Jr., who had 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.

"I think Dennis Briggs is a guy that will jump out to a lot of people when you see him play," Bielema said at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis.

Other transfers include senior Gentle Hunt from Florida A&M as well as sophomore Enyce Sledge from Auburn.

In addition, freshman Angelo McCullom arrives as three star recruit from Pickerington North High School in Ohio where he was named the OCC Ohio Defensive Player of the Year.

The veterans of the system include senior nose tackle TeRah Edwards, sophomore Alex Bray and redshirt freshman Jeremiah Warren.

Edwards has grown steadily to become a reliable presence.

"TeRah was a transfer to us two years ago out of Northwestern whose literally turned into one of our defensive leaders, really impressed with him," Bielema said.

During the spring, Bray and Warren bulked up while receiving lots of reps.

Here was defensive line coach Terrence Jamison's assessment of the unit during the spring:

"It's very important because those are guys that haven't played much in the past season, but they've been around our system they know the communication," he said during a post spring practice conference in April. "It helps the young guys, the true freshmen that come in, and it also helps the older guys the transfers to come in to kind of see how we practice to set the expecation, but also to compete for that starting role as well. So to have a group of solid six guys that we can see playing rotating and keeping fresh in the game is something we look forward to and it's been a good enviroment for that in terms of football 101 and just the stresses of keeping at the highest level versus the offensive line and the offense in general."

Zachary Draves is a contributor to IlliniNow. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.