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Illinois football hasn't won a Big Ten title since 2001, but the Fighting Illini have made things interesting in the conference over the past two-plus decades through memorable performances, players and games.

Recently, one of the leading football analysis websites, Pro Football Focus, decided to look back on some of the Big Ten's best players of the last decade dating back to 2016, and chose two Illinois players in the process. 

The list includes one offensive lineman and one defensive player, the latter of whom just signed a record NFL contract with the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. 

Green, Witherspoon Make All-Decade Team

The website chose former Illinois Fighting Illini offensive guard Kendrick Green and Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon on its All-Decade team, helping Illinois to outpace Big Ten powers Oregon, Penn State, and others. 

Green played three seasons in Champaign, Ill., appearing in 33 games before being drafted in the third round (87th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. 

He also made USA Today's All-America Second Team in 2020 and the All-Big Ten First Team that same season before moving on to the NFL. 

Witherspoon helped lead Seattle to a Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots last season and did so in style. 

Prior to that at Illinois, he racked up 116 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 25 pass deflections before being selected fifth over all in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

2026 All-Big Ten Candidates 

Illinois football's 2026 team has its fair share of future All-Big Ten and All-America candidates at multiple positions heading into the 2026 college football season.

Witherspoon's runaway success story shows that virtually anyone can become a premium player at the Division-I and NFL levels as he was a zero-to-two star recruit out of high school depending on the scouting service.

Some of the Fighting Illini's highest potential players for 2026 include defensive backs Xavier Scott and Matthew Bailey along with quarterback Katin Houser.

If Houser can replicate the success he had at East Carolina last season, he could find himself among the Big Ten's best quarterbacks.

Transfer center Jake Renfro, formerly of Wisconsin, also has the talent and maturity to become a dark horse All-Big Ten caliber player. 

Watching players evolve their games is an exciting aspect of college football that fans have grown accustomed to looking for each season.

2026 presents an excellent opportunity for fans to honor and remember the past while also looking ahead to what should be another fantastic season full of memorable players and performances, for Illinois and the rest of the Big Ten. 

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