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(From University of Illinois Sports Information Office) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 17, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Welcome to one of the final days of a preseason football camp for the Illinois program for the 2022 campaign in the second year of Illini head coach Bret Bielema.

Today was the last 15-minute viewing period of preseason camp but here are some quick notes:

The Illini team was on the grass fields behind the Smith Family Football Center.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

August 17, 2022

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)

Ohio State dominates the Big Ten in wide receiver recruiting and development.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

August 16, 2022

Brandon Hansen is a 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle from Mundelein, Illinois. To say the Illinois football staff is now ahead of schedule would be a lie. When was the last time in early August the next year’s recruiting class is nearly complete? 

This gives Illinois room to start working on the next couple of classes, which is why Hansen made the trip downstate. 

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema confirms his coaches pulled certain players out of Monday’s full-contact scrimmage including quarterback Tommy DeVito. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 15, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- If local media are listening carefully to Bret Bielema’s post-scrimmage media session, you can deal a conclusion that the quarterback competition phase has ended and a starter has emerged. 

Just 40 seconds into a 14-minute media session following the Illini’s second and final scrimmage before the Aug. 27 season opener against Wyoming (3 p.m., BTN), the Illinois second-year head coach began to rattle off names of players who were removed from the scrimmage after the halftime break for precautionary reasons.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

August 15, 2022

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)

Bret Bielema knows power football and knows running backs. Kaden Feagin is likely to play linebacker in college but that was also the plan for Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen and look at him now.

Steve Sturm, IlliniGuys Football Analyst

August 14, 2022

Illinois managed to convince three-star rated North Carolina commit Zachary Tobe to switch his allegiance to the Illini and by doing so the Illini added another talented and athletic Floridian to its core of defensive backs.

Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr.’s transition from UTSA to Champaign has involved an evolution of when, where and how to mix up the pace and speed of his system. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 13, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Long before he became a football coach, Barry Lunney was drafted twice into Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher so the new Illinois offensive coordinator knows something about changing speeds.

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting 

August 13, 2022

Illinois recently offered a scholarship to one of the top prospects in the country.

By Zain Bando - IlliniGuys Student Correspondent

August 12, 2022

Ayo Dosunmu played for the Illini from 2018-2021 and was one of the catalysts that helped Illinois go from the basement of the Big Ten to regular season champs just four years later.

But let’s back up a step — 2018. Illinois was in the midst of an extensive rebuild after the firing of John Groce and the hiring of Brad Underwood the previous year. Not many Illini fans were pleased with the move, considering his lack of major Division 1 college basketball head coaching experience. But he had a belief that if he could make Chicago basketball important in Champaign again, something special could happen. And it did. Although it took a little bit of time to adjust. Not just for the program, but the fanbase as well.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

August 12, 2022

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)
Illini QB commit Caleb Swanson courtesy Ardmore HS Athletics

Illinois isn’t known for producing great quarterbacks over the years, that’s the sad fact.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 11, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- We all catch ourselves saying things that are drastically outdated and well, stupid. 

For example, I will still, to this day, say “I’m taping that '' or “I am recording that”' when asked about an upcoming game or television/ streaming service show. The fact is there is no physical tape and because I’m a streaming television/service customer, it doesn’t actually record as much as get placed in a file of stuff I intend to watch whenever I have time to binge. So, why do I say “I’m taping that”? Because my appreciation for the language I make a living writing causes me to almost audibly sigh when we’re forced to turn the DVR process into a verb (DVRing). Whether it’s the vocabulary we use or the beliefs we illogically hold onto, the social marketplace will always dictate the most important aspect of life: Relevancy. 

One would think that in 2022, the sophisticated fan wouldn’t need this refresher course on this issue but unfortunately there are those who are following famous talking heads spouting outdated and borderline platitudes that cloud the reality of what is college sports.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

August 11, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Raleigh News Observer)

Illinois entered Tar Heel nation to offer Colt Langdon, a forward from Raleigh, North Carolina. Even though Langdon does not have an offer from North Carolina, he is still getting offers from great college basketball programs. Examples are Ole Miss and Virginia Tech.

Langdon is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound scoring wing who plays like a seasoned veteran, but is only a freshman.

Of the eight newcomer offensive linemen brought in this offseason, only three are under 300 pounds and Illini looking to start one of the largest o-line units in Big Ten in 2022. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

August 10, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When Hunter Whitenack walked into the weight room for summer conditioning work, the sheer look of his body got the attention of his older teammates. 

The freshman, 19-year-old from New Carlisle, Ind., measured in for preseason camp at 6-foot-7 and weighed in at 345 pounds - which is 55 pounds heavier than his listed weight as a three-star prospect at New Prairie High School where he was a three-time all-area, and all-conference selection. 

“I look at Hunter Whitenack and have to think how I was 215 (pounds) and now I was a walk-on tight end at the time but my God, I can’t imagine being that big and moving that well at 19 years old,” Illinois center Alex Pihlstrom said on Aug. 1. “I have work so hard to keep my flexibility and mobility and I’m only 305 to 310. This kid has 20-30 pounds on me. As of today, Hunter benches more than most of the offensive line and he’s never blinked at anything. All of these are worlds ahead of where they probably should be.” 

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

August 10, 2022

I’ve broken down the offensive and defensive recruits in the 2023 class for Illinois, but the transfer portal could be even more important.