Illinois football held its 12th practice of the spring Tuesday, wearing full pads but staying on the practice field for the almost three-hour session.

Zook said he has seen continued improvement from the team in the three weeks since the spring season began, and is especially impressed by the changes in the offensive and defensive lines.

On the offensive line, Ryan McDonald has moved inside and Matt Maddox is now playing offensive guard. Zook said senior Chuck Myles has shown great improvement and will be a threat at right tackle. JJ Simmons is still out with an injury, but Zook said he expects the line to greatly benefit from Simmons’ athleticism and experience.

“I don’t think there’s any question our offensive line is much improved over where it was in the fall, and it needed to be,” Zook said.

The offense has a huge advantage in Oklahoma transfer Akim Millington, who has been plagued by ankle injuries but is still one of the line’s highlights.

“Akim’s a big tackle; he’s a big guy,” Zook said. “He’s strong, physical, a guy who holds his own.”

The defensive line still has room to grow, Zook said, but it is also making strides. This summer the team may move Sirod Williams to defensive tackle as they try to fill holes in the lineup.

Junior Chris Norwell is the biggest promise on the line, Zook said, and has the potential to stand out come fall.

“Chris Norwell has continued to improve from where he was,” Zook said. “He can be as good a defensive tackle as there is in the Big Ten.”

Overall, the coach said the entire team is far improved from this point last year.

“The amount of football that we have in is a lot more than it was last year,” Zook said. “Everybody’s on the same page in terms of what we expect, the coaching staff, the players, in terms of what we expect. It’s been a lot smoother and, consequently, we’ve gotten a lot more work done.”

INJURY REPORT

Cornerback Alan Ball broke his arm and will be out for the rest of the spring. The injury should not affect his summer workouts . Wide receiver Kyle Hudson suffered a minor concussion in practice last week, but was back playing Tuesday . Wide receiver Derrick McPherson missed weekend workouts with an infection in his leg . Defensive lineman Sirod Williams has a stress fracture in his shin.