Illinois (3-3, 1-2) has a real weapon on its hands.

He can evade tackles with the elegance of a sprinting gazelle, but runs with all the ferocity of a runaway locomotive. 

His name is Javari Barnett, and after his breakout performance in the closing minutes of the team’s win over SIU, he’s only had five rushing opportunities over the past three games. 

Despite Barnett’s limited playing time, the freshman running back already has an impressive highlight reel. 

In his first play against Michigan State, Barnett took a handoff before eluding a pair of would-be tacklers near the line of scrimmage. With a sea of green now in front of him, Barnett thundered his way to a 15-yard gain before trucking Michigan State redshirt junior safety Devin Vaught as his reign of terror came to an end at Illinois’ sideline. 

The awesome display of violence earned Barnett just two more carries as the game stretched into overtime. 

Illinois has yet to seriously incorporate any freshmen into its game plan this season. With redshirting now a thing of the past — and a gauntlet of a second-half schedule ahead — it’s time to put the Illini of the future ahead of the Illini of the present. Giving younger players the chance to experience in-game situations could be huge for the program going forward. 

Illinois has a dynamic core of young players — call them the “Fledgling Illini” — but they’ve seldom seen the field this year. 

Barnett should see the field more often than he is right now, especially with junior running back Ca’Lil Valentine out for the season. Elsewhere on offense, Illinois could bolster its limited receiving corps by utilizing freshman Nate Cichy and sophomore Jershaun Newton more often.

Newton has made four appearances this season, but has been involved in only one play — a wildcat against No. 4 Ohio State. Cichy, meanwhile, saw limited action against SIU.

247Sports’ Preseason True Freshman All-American defensive back Nick Hankins Jr. recorded 3 tackles in the season opener against UAB. He added another against SIU, but hasn’t seen the field since — even as the defense continues to falter.

The one exception is at quarterback, where Michael Clayton II seems to be the answer under center for the next four to six weeks as fifth-year Katin Houser recovers. 

Clayton was everything the team could have hoped for in its win over Michigan State. The 18-year-old went 6-for-8 on passing and threw a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. 

What the future holds for Clayton as he squares off against tougher opponents such as Oregon, Nebraska and No. 12 UCLA in the coming weeks remains to be seen, but at least he’ll have the battle scars of Big Ten football with him next season. 

The constant uncertainty of ‘next year’ — between injuries and the transfer portal — means that in-game experience for young players could prove invaluable in future seasons. 

Sophomore wide receiver Brayden Trimble made three unnoteworthy appearances last year. Now, after injuries to fifth-year receivers Alex Perry and Jayshon Platt, Trimble slots in as Illinois’ No. 3 receiver.

Trimble’s time on the field in 2025 isn’t completely responsible for his 172 yards on 19 receptions this year, but it likely helped as he finds himself much higher on the depth chart than originally expected. 

It’s not easy for freshmen to succeed in college football the same way that they can in college basketball. A hypothetical team led by Clayton, Barnett and Hankins probably wouldn’t shock its way to an unlikely bowl appearance — not this season, at least. 

And if they did, then head coach Bret Bielema and company would surely be thrilled with their sudden wealth of talent, if not a little worried about losing some of it in the transfer portal. 

There’s a limit to how far the Illini can go in terms of playing underclassmen for the rest of the season, but not much. Team captains such as senior receiver Collin Dixon and program veterans like fifth-year running back Aidan Laughery should continue to see the field both because of their leadership abilities and the fact that they’re just pretty good at football.

Beyond that, though, there’s no reason not to start cycling in younger players on offense, defense and special teams. 

It might be a little surprising to see ambidextrous Australian freshman punter Jack Gray get a few kicks in as the season draws to a close, but certainly not unwelcome. 

Not everyone will make the same immediate, apparent impact as Barnett and Clayton, but in a down year, it’s worth a shot to let the kids play.

@BrendanGallian

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