Chase Brown

Brown headed the Illini’s rushing attack in 2021 under first-year coach Bret Bielema, whose offenses typically portend to a heavy reliance on the ground game. While he wasn’t quite a bell cow, accounting for 45 percent of the team’s carries last season, Brown did average 17 totes per game and topped 1,000 rushing yards (1,005) for the first time in his career. He should remain at the head of the backfield mix for Illinois entering 2022, with Josh McCray likely his second-in-command, but the run-heavy approach should lead to plenty of available carries.