Mercer Transfer Jake Davis Quietly Goes About His Business
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
July 26, 2024
Champaign, IL - Mercer transfer guard Jake Davis was the first prospect to commit to Illinois after their Elite Eight run this past season. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and assistant coach Tyler Underwood saw the interest from Davis, reviewed extensive game footage, and promptly offered him a scholarship.
Terrance Brooks Selected Illinois Because of Three Letters: Not NIL, NFL
Brooks, arguably the most significant acquisition out of the transfer portal for Illinois in the Bret Bielema era, arrives in Champaign after needing a push from his NFL alum father.
Matthew Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer
July 25, 2024
CHAMPAIGN — Terrance Brooks didn’t just imply or hint that he took less of a pay-for-play salary to sign with Illinois out of the transfer portal, he said the perceived quiet part out loud.
Newcomer Tre White to Play Significant Role in Illini Success
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
July 25, 2024
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois fans might feel a sense of déjà vu when they hear about Louisville transfer Tre White. Questions circulated early when he committed: Who is he? Where did this recruit come from? How can a player from a struggling Louisville team help us? Is this a reach for Coach Tim Anderson?
Illini Defense Success Riding On Rebound Season From Gabe Jacas
Illinois third year outside linebacker Gabe Jacas must find himself in offensive backfields in 2024 season.
Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer
July 24, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS — One year ago, Bret Bielema broke his long-standing rule of bringing non-seniors to the league’s media day because if he didn’t, the Illinois head coach knew Jer’Zhan Newton would be in professional football the following summer.
The Final Package Takes the Court
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
July 24, 2024
Champaign, IL - Illinois’ Tomislav Ivisic, a 7-foot, 230-pound freshman, is now with his future teammates. Ivisic, along with fellow freshman Morez Johnson, will be handling everything that comes to the paint this upcoming season.
How Long Did Purdue’s Ryan Walters Wait to Hire Andy Buh?: ‘About five minutes’
Purdue will have five former Illinois coaches on its staff when the Boilermakers play at Illinois on Oct. 12 at Memorial Stadium in Walters’ first return to Champaign.
Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer
July 23, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS — At 7:30 p.m. CST on Jan. 11, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema sent out of the media release confirming the firing of linebackers coach Andy Buh and cornerbacks coach Antonio Fenelus.
The Farrell Files Illinois - 2026 Notes & Comparing 2025 WRs to the B1G
Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert
July 23, 2024
(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)
In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll have a few more 2026 notes and see how the 2025 WR group compares to the Big Ten. Hint: It’s not that bad.
NEWS: Bielema Adds Two Former Head Coaches to Illini’s 2024 Coaching Staff
Illinois fills final assistant/analyst roles for the upcoming 2024 season with the additions of Dana Dimel and Myers Hendrickson.
July 22, 2024
CHAMPAIGN — The final additions of Bret Bielema’s coaching staff for the upcoming 2024 season are former head coaches at the Division I level.
The Illini’s fourth-year head coach announced Monday the hiring of Dana Dimel as a senior offensive assistant and Myers Hendrickson as a senior analyst.
The Last but 'Big' Piece to Men's Basketball Arrives
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
July 22, 2024
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After overcoming a few technical but common issues, Illinois' freshman center Tomislav Ivisic, a 7-foot-1, 230-pound jack of all trades, has finally made it to Champaign from Vodice, Croatia.
Ivisic, despite being a freshman, brings a unique skill set to the center position that Illinois has never had. Former All-American center Kofi Cockburn also stood at 7-foot-0 but weighed 300 pounds, using his sheer size to dominate opponents. Ivisic, however, will present a different look.
Illinois Football on Par with Other Big Ten Foes
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
July 22, 2024
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini football team is just six weeks away from opening night at Memorial Stadium against the Eastern Illinois Panthers. While much of the off-season hype has surrounded the men’s and women’s basketball recruiting, head coach Bret Bielema and his staff have made significant strides in football recruitment as well.
Illini AD Josh Whitman Still Believes Programs Want Governance As He Takes On New NCAA Role
University of Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman, who is also the NCAA’s Division I Council chairperson, is still promoting the idea of governance.
By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst
CHAMPAIGN — When asked if prominent power conference university athletics departments want to be governed, University of Illinois Josh Whiman needed a few seconds to pause, breath and sigh before responding.
Whitman spent several minutes during his annual roundtable discussion in June promoting the idea that some governance will be required to stabilize what can only be described as a chaotic era of collegiate athletics. However, Whitman, who has taken over as the chairperson of the NCAA’s Division I Council, wasn’t naive or unaware of the contrary recent evidence to suggest his plea for stability might be falling on deaf ears when the alternative is a more competitive present and future.
“I don’t expect enforcement to happen through the existing mechanism that we’ve all known through the last decades. So, it must be a new mechanism and a new structure needs to be put in place to try and monitor this environment,” Whitman said.
Despite numerous recent examples of power conference programs working in their best interest without regulations and perceived historical ethics being considered, Whitman is still publicly advocating for some sort of governing body to put in place that all university presidents/chancellors, athletics directors and coaches can see as a sense of fair play.
Talent Eventually Shows Itself: Illinois Five-Star Recruit Will Riley
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting July 21, 2024 […]
Don't Fall Asleep on Illinois Junior Ty Rodgers
Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
July 20, 2024
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois basketball has retained two key players after an impressive Elite Eight finish: sophomore Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn and junior Ty Rodgers.
Ked's Recruiting Roundup - Illinois Women Make the Final List for State's Top Prep
By Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
July 19, 2024
Champaign, IL - Just over two weeks ago, the Fighting Illini women's basketball team received exciting news from the nation's fifth-ranked prospect, Divine Bourrage, who announced that Illinois made her final cut. Bourrage's list includes LSU, Baylor, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Arizona.
Destiny Jackson, a 5-foot-11 guard from Whitney Young, released her top five schools this week.
The Farrell Files Illinois - 2026 News and RB Rankings
Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert
July 19, 2024
(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)
In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll take a look at some 2026 news and rank the RB recruits vs the Big Ten as 2025 has slowed down.
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