Athlon All-America Teams | Athlon All-Big Ten Teams
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois football program was represented with two All-Americans and 11 All-Big Ten selections on Athlon's preseason honors list. The Fighting Illini's defensive tackle combo of Jer'Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. were both named Preseason All-Americans, with Newton appearing on the first team and Randolph earning a spot on the third team. Illinois is one of only eight schools with multiple players within the top three All-America teams on defense, joining Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, and LSU.
The full list of Illinois' honorees is below:
Athlon Preseason All-America
First-Team Defense
DL Jer'Zhan Newton
Third-Team Defense
DL Keith Randolph Jr.
Athlon Preseason All-Big Ten
First-Team Offense
WR Isaiah Williams
First-Team Defense
DL Jer'Zhan Newton
DL Keith Randolph Jr.
Second-Team Offense
OL Isaiah Adams
Third-Team Offense
RB Josh McCray
OL Julian Pearl
Third-Team Specialists
K Caleb Griffin
PR Isaiah Williams
Fourth-Team Defense
LB Seth Coleman
LB Gabe Jacas
CB Tahveon Nicholson