All Signs Point to Illini QB Brandon Peters Being Physically Ready In 2020
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- All early reports from the practice fields and weight room is the Illinois starting quarterback couldn’t be more motivated to showcase his less-than-appreciated athleticism.
When asked to identify some impressive players during these voluntary summer workouts that began earlier this month, Illinois football strength and conditioning coach Lou Hernandez didn’t need much time before saying the name of the Illini’s projected starting quarterback for the upcoming 2020 season.
“Brandon Peters looks absolutely incredible at this moment in time,” Hernandez said Thursday in a Zoom video conference with local media.
Illinois is expected to return four offensive linemen, six receivers who started a game in the 2019 season and Peters as the trigger man of fast-paced offense where coordinator Rod Smith wants a play run every 15 seconds of game time. .
“He said he thinks he’s found a home here,” Illinois head coach Lovie Smith said after the bowl game in December. “ Everyone wants to know about the quarterback season. He’s found a home here for sure. I can’t wait for him to be in a leadership role for an entire season.”
For the past six months, Lovie Smith has been using a fourth-and-17 scramble play in the Illini program’s first bowl game since 2014 by the 6-foot-5 quarterback as a symbol for the 2020 season. In a desperate spot, Peters, a 6-foot-5 quarterback more known on any scouting report for his ball ability with his right arm than both of his legs, nearly executed a scramble play with his team down two scores. Peters broke a few tackles and nearly completed the first down run with a headfirst dive out of bounds near the down marker by a player that was questionable to play throughout the month leading up to the 35-20 Redbox Bowl loss to California.
“We’re going to go into next season with that play that Brandon tried to make,” Smith said following the 2019 Redbox Bowl.
Peters, who arrived from Michigan as a later transfer in Aug. 2019, also added a team-best 68 rushing yards on eight carries to go with his 274 yards through the air with a touchdown against one of the Pac 12 Conference’s most consistent defensive units.
“Why is it so laughable though?” Peters said with a smile when asked in November about his running ability. "Is it because I'm so tall? Especially with how good our run game is, the quarterback run game has opened up a lot lately and I've never questioned my athleticism."
In a 2020 campaign, which is what everybody around the Illini program has pointed to as the much-needed breakout season for Lovie Smith’s tenure in Champaign-Urbana, Peters has arrived back on campus to prove he can make some noise with his legs and his physicality just as much as with his arm in the Illini pass game.
“Whatever it was that motivated him to continue to do some work (during the spring stay-at-home orders via the coronavirus pandemic), I couldn’t be happier with that,” Hernandez said. “Looking at him right now, his body looks incredible. He’s definitely maintained and definitely put on some lean muscle mass. He’s got some more definition on him. He definitely looks like he’s been in the weight room.”
In a 38-10 home victory last season versus Rutgers, nearly everybody, including the Rutgers defense, was surprised to see Peters take off for a 54-yard run to set up a touchdown drive. Hernandez said Thursday he’s already seeing Peters win sprints and races by utilizing his long strides and an extra gear of speed he’s found by working on his lower body strength. The Illini strength coach isn’t going to be surprised if he sees No. 18 in an Illinois jersey keep the football on some of the designed read-option runs that Rod Smith has made famous in the Illini spread offense.
“He’s definitely put some work in (before he arrived back to campus in June) to help showcase his athleticism,” Hernandez said. “He’s definitely standing out right now as a guy who continued to lift, continued to run and continued to work on his overall performance. I think that right there show a lot to this football team how important it is to our quarterback to get it done (in 2020) and hopefully it’ll continue to spread throughout the remainder of our guys as well.”