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By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Ethan Brown, fresh off his official visit to Illinois, saw everything he needed. On Wednesday night, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard from Rolla, Missouri, announced his commitment to the Illini via his Instagram and Twitter (X) page.

Brown becomes the first commitment for Illinois in the 2026 class and provides an early spark for a recruiting cycle that many had questioned in terms of high school involvement.

As a fourth-year player and entering his second season at Illinois, Kylan Boswell is trying to turn his words from the NCAA Tournament loss last March into reality this summer.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Opendorse)

CHAMPAIGN — On the chance his message preached to media following the final game of the 2024-25 season for Illinois was unclear, Kylan Boswell has attempted to be the physical embodiment of a tone setter this summer.

While sitting at his locker inside the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee following the 84-75 loss to Kentucky in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Boswell let his feelings known about what his role on a 2025-26 Illini team would be.

For the third straight season since Ryan Walters left the Illini staff, Bielema’s Illini will face a defense led by their former coordinator from 2021-22.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Purdue Athletics)

LAS VEGAS — If anybody can relate and sympathize for a possible reflection moment that Ryan Walters had after being fired from his first head coaching job, it’s his former boss Bret Bielema.

Walters was terminated after two seasons leading the Purdue program to a 5-19 overall record where he had left Bielema’s Illini coaching staff. Last week during his media session at the 2025 Big Ten Football Media Days at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Bielema described how much his termination at Arkansas, which was the first and only time he’s been fired as a head football coach, changed him professionally.

By IlliniGuys Staff

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illinois has been blessed with some immensely talented basketball players over the years.  All-Americans, Big Ten Players of the Year, and those who have reached the penultimate level in college hoops.

IlliniGuys co-owners Mike Cagley, Larry Smith, and Brad Sturdy and IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince all grew up in the 1970s and 80s, so we posed the question - who is the greatest Illini point guard in your lifetime?

That was the debate in this edition of the I On The Illini podcast:

https://illiniguys.com/i-on-the-illini-fighting-illini-top-5-pgs-488-youtube-edition/

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular July 29, 2025 B1G […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 29, 2025

(Cover photo player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Bret Bielema and his Illinois football staff made a major statement Sunday night, landing one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Kamden Lopati, the first commitment in the Illini's 2027 recruiting class.

Lopati, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound quarterback from Salt Lake City, is ranked by ESPN as a four-star prospect. He is listed as the No. 6 quarterback in the country and the No. 2 overall player in Utah. Though only heading into his junior year at West High School, Lopati already holds several Power Five offers. But after his unofficial visit to Champaign, the decision became clear.

“My first contact was with Coach Eddie Simpkins (Director of Offensive Player Personnel), he reached out to me and remembered me when he was at Oklahoma State,” Lopati said. “Coach Art (Sitkowski) came out to Salt Lake City, and I threw for him and a few other college coaches; it just started from there.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 29, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy family social media page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Former Illinois forward Lucas Johnson knows what it means to represent the orange and blue. Now, he’s watching his daughter, Liv Johnson, take her own steps toward basketball stardom with Illinois once again in the mix.

Johnson, who played for the Illini from 1998 to 2002 under Lon Kruger and Bill Self, was known for his intensity, toughness, and team-first mentality. Now, his 6-foot-2 daughter is making a name for herself before even stepping onto a high school court.

Liv will enter her freshman year at Carmel Catholic (Mundelein, Illinois) this fall and already holds several high-major offers. The All-Iowa Attack AAU guard has caught the eye of programs including DePaul, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and, most recently, Illinois.

In an exclusive conversation with IlliniGuys, Lucas said

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 28, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With the spring and summer AAU basketball circuit winding down, Illinois basketball is shifting gears and beginning to welcome visitors to campus. As expected, the Illini coaching staff has wasted no time in getting potential targets on the radar inside State Farm Center.

This morning, Illinois is hosting Ethan Brown, a rising 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard from Rolla, Missouri. Brown, who plays his AAU basketball with the Gateway Knights, has caught the attention of Illinois assistant coaches Tyler Underwood and Zach Hamer, both of whom were instrumental in extending a scholarship offer to the three-star prospect.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 27, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini football program continues to trend upward with a major win on the recruiting trail. Illinois secured its first commitment in the Class of 2027, landing four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati from West Valley City, Utah.

Matthew Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 27, 2025

Since IlliniGuys.com was not asked to participate in the league's unofficial annual Cleveland.com poll/selections, we thought we'd do our own

LAS VEGAS — One of the more interesting factoids about Bret Bielema’s coaching career is when and the number of times he’s been selected as a conference coach of the year. 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 26, 2015

(Cover photo courtesy Brian Mahoney/News Sun)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In the late 1990s, Illinois basketball introduced fans to Lucas Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Des Plaines and Maine West High School. Johnson didn’t overwhelm fans with scoring or flashy play, but few wore the Illini jersey with more grit. Over time, he carved out a role as a starter and earned a reputation as one of the toughest players to ever suit up in orange and blue.

Now, a new Johnson is starting to make waves, and this time, it’s Liv Johnson, Lucas' daughter. The 6-foot-2 scoring combo guard from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein is rising fast through the ranks and is already considered one of the top prospects in the Midwest.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Anoke Deitg-Blanchard)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – One of the best decisions Brad Underwood made during his time at Illinois was convincing Orlando Antigua to return to Champaign as associate head coach again. Known as one of the top recruiters and closers in college basketball, Antigua brings a deep web of connections across the country, and lately, those ties are paying off on the East Coast.

Illinois has shown steady interest in more than 10 high school prospects from the New York area, and the latest target is Lucas Morillo, a rising 2026 combo guard from The Newman School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Big Ten Conference coordinator of football officials Bill Carollo contends, unlike the presentation given by the Southeastern Conference, late defensive substitution patterns aren’t a typical problem.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy ESPN)

LAS VEGAS — It appears the contention between the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference is not just limited to a future College Football Playoff format but also involves the folks in stripped shirts as well.

One week after John McDaid, the SEC coordinator of football officials, gave a presentation to media in attendance at that league’s media day in Atlanta over what he called “rule changes” within his conference beginning with the upcoming 2025 season, Big Ten Conference coordinator of football officials Bill Carollo had his say on the matter of handling defensive substitution patterns through the course of a game.

A big portion of McDaid’s lecture was how the SEC would address in the immediate future where a defense is intentionally trying to force down the play clock on the offense with its final chance at a player substitution before the football is snapped. McDaid’s video demonstration highlighting what his office has determined is an issue that demands attention included clips of Illinois executing defensive substitutions in the 2024 Citrus Bowl resulting in a 21-17 win for Illini over South Carolina.

“What we’ve seen over the last couple years — and we definitely saw it at a high volume or a higher volume in the 2024 postseason

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Quality big men with skill sets that fit today’s fast-paced, positionless game can be hard to find. At Illinois, under head coach Brad Underwood, players are expected to shoot, pass, defend, and play with high energy. That’s part of what has made Aliou Dioum, a 6-foot-10 forward/center from Scottsdale, Ariz., an attractive 2026 prospect.

The Illini are actively recruiting Dioum, and this isn’t your standard scholarship offer. Illinois views Dioum as a key priority in their 2026 class and are making a serious push for the high-motor big man.

IlliniGuys caught up with Dioum to get his thoughts

Illinois third-year starting quarterback Luke Altmyer believes Barry Lunney Jr. deserves to soon be a head coach in college football but is grateful to be paired with him one more time in 2025.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 23, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

LAS VEGAS — Since the moment Barry Lunney Jr. knew Luke Altmyer was the transfer portal quarterback target in December 2022 ,he’s been able to share his on-field and off-field vision for the then-Ole Miss transfer prospect and the current Illinois offensive coordinator and quarterback have been connected.

As the Fighting Illini enter the 2025 campaign, it will mark the third year for both Altmyer being the starting quarterback and Lunney running the quarterback room and calling offensive plays in Champaign-Urbana. The importance and value of the partnership is not lost on the 22-year-old quarterback as he was honored this week at Big Ten Football Media Days at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas as a preseason all-conference selection. 

“I think our relationship, our communication, is at a really high level,” Altmyer said on Tuesday in Las Vegas when IlliniGuys.com asked him about Lunney. “I’m able to understand what he’s thinking (and) he’s able to tap into my thinking…We just understand each other at a high level.”

Sources close to the Altmyer’s representation confirmed