No. 5: Corey Liuget, defensive tackle.

Why he's important: His decision to sign with the Illini might have surprised some recruiting experts. But he saw the chance for immediate playing time and, like Arrelious Benn, wanted to be part of building a program. Made 26 tackles in 11 games in 2008 and recovered two fumbles. He is just getting started. Had a dominating spring despite missing runningmate Josh Brent, who was suspended. Put them together and opposing offensive lines will have their hands full every down. Don't expect to see him leave the field much. He's an outstanding athlete who gets better each day. The coaches were hoping he would get off to a good start and he did, which will mean he'll hit his upside sooner.

Getting personal: Friendly and extremely confident in his abilities and those of his teammates. Isn't shy about predicting that Illinois will win a national title during his time in school. Miami product picked Illini over LSU, Florida State and the hometown Hurricanes. His wrestling background has to be a help when going against 300-plus pound offensive linemen. With a big season, expect him to get All-Big Ten consideration, which is rare for sophomore defensive linemen. When counting future Illini with a chance to get picked in the first round of the NFL draft, he has to be at the top of the list in his class.

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