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By IlliniGuys Staff November 29, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

Alec Bryant, who was the first transfer signee in the Bret Bielema era, will play in his final game at Gies Memorial Stadium today after six years in college football.

NORTHWESTERN at ILLINOIS

Records: Northwestern 6-5, 4-4 in Big Ten; Illinois 7-4, 4-4 in Big Ten

Date/Time/Place: Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025: 6:30 p.m. CST, Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 60,670

ODDS: Illinois by 7.5

Series notes: Illinois leads the all-time series 58–55–5 and Saturday will be the 17th battle for the relatively new rivalry trophy. Illinois is 6-10 against Northwestern since the beginning of the Land of Lincoln Trophy. The Illini own Land of Lincoln Trophy wins in 2024, 2022, 2021, 2014, 2011 and 2010.

TV: FOX; Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)

Radio (Illinois): Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), Michael Martin (sideline), and Steve Kelly (pre/half/post). The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, SiriusXM 137/195, the SiriusXM App, and at FightingIllini.com/live.
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By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 29, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As he started this 2025 season, Alec Bryant nearly needs all five of the fingers on his right hand to count the amount of position coaches he’s had in his college football career.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

November 29, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Payton Sturdy/IlliniGuys)

The Illini fell to #5 UConn at Madison Square Garden on Friday despite a 25 point and 9 rebound effort from Kylan Boswell, 74-61. The Illini were cold from the perimeter, shooting just 6-29 from 3 and 9-22 at the rim in this loss to fall to 6-2 on the season.

The Huskies scored at will in the first half and led by as many as 21 points in the game before an Illini rally had cut the lead to 7. The Illini appeared to get a stop, but a Hail Mary 3 and 1 by UConn's Malachi Smith after the shot clock had reset incorrectly went unchanged after review and turned what would have been a 7-point deficit and the ball with 2:10 to play into an 11-point lead for UConn.

The Illini were never able to get any closer.

Here’s what we saw in person at MSG.

These 3 Things

European No Show -

November 29, 2025 The Illini face a Northwestern team […]

By IlliniGuys Staff November 28, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst November 28, 2025 […]

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

November 27, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Brent Zinkmann/IlliniGuys)

Brad Underwood loves his marquee matchups in the non-conference and loves to head to New York City as well, so he will get both out of the way on Friday when the Illini play the Connecticut Huskies. UConn is a perennial championship contender, and this year appears no different. The Illini are trying to get healthy heading into this one and hope to be closer to full strength than they were just over a week ago against Alabama.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage
#13 Illinois (6-1) vs. #5 UConn (5-1)
Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 // 11:30 a.m. CT/12:30 p.m. ET // New York // Madison Square Garden
TV: FOX – Kenny Albert (Play-by-Play) & Steve Smith (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
*No. 13 Illinois (6-1) closes a stretch of four games in 10 days across three different cities, facing No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden on Black Friday (11:30 a.m. CT / FOX). • In taking on No. 5 UConn, Illinois is in search of its highest ranked win since a 72-69 win over No. 4 Iowa State in the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament (March 28, 2024). Brad Underwood has led the Illini to five wins over top-5 opponents since 2019-20, sixth-most in the NCAA.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 27, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — On Thanksgiving Day, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and his staff secured a key in-state commitment from Quinton Kitt, a 6-foot-7 power forward from East Peoria, Ill., who made his decision public on his Twitter page.

Kitt announced his pledge with a brief holiday message: “forever thankful to represent to put on for my state, go Fighting Illini, and Happy Thanksgiving.”

A few weeks ago, IlliniGuys’ Kedric Prince and Brad Sturdy learned that Kitt was leaning heavily toward Illinois. The Peoria native hasn’t hidden his connection to the program since late summer.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 27, 2025

(Cover photo player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — If you’re an Illinois fan, Thanksgiving delivered a double dose of good news. Earlier in the day, Brad Underwood and the men’s basketball program secured a commitment from Quinton Kitt, a 6-foot-7 forward from East Peoria, Ill. Not long after, Bret Bielema made sure the football program joined the celebration when cornerback Jakwon Morris decommitted from USC and pledged to Illinois.

Morris, a 6-foot-0, 175-pound cornerback, is exactly the type of player Illinois needed in its secondary. Considered one of the nation’s top 3 junior college cornerbacks, he will suit up for the Illini after originally committing to the Trojans. He comes from Northwest Mississippi CC, a program known for producing defensive backs.

By IlliniGuys Staff

November 27, 2025

Like a surprise pecan pie you might discover behind the serving dishes of green bean casserole and cranberries, IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy delivered some eye-popping goodies this week on the premium message boards.

An under-the-radar campus visitor this week, who NBA scouts have their eye on and why this might be a December we'll remember come March.

Here's what he said:

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 27, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Standing at 6-1 with the season in full swing, the 13th-ranked Illinois basketball team has picked up its first commitment of its 2027 recruiting class. With the staff’s 2024 and 2025 classes bringing in flavors from all around the world, the first name on the 2027 class will be an in-state guy.

6-foot-6, 215-pound forward Quinton Kitt has committed to play for the Illini. Hailing from Peoria and playing for East Peoria High School, Kitt has been a frequent traveler to Champaign in recent months. He was on campus for his fourth visit for Illinois’ November 7th matchup against Florida Gulf Coast, and he has spoken with the IlliniGuys team several times before.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Zeno Jo/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – We’ve all heard of “two birds, one stone,” but the Illini coaching staff may be looking to take down three birds with one Illinois-shaped stone.

Head coach Bret Bielema has taken a liking to in-state recruiting since arriving in 2021, and as of late has also been heavy in recruiting players who have family ties to the program. His next target? A player playing football right out of Northwestern’s backyard.

Illinois forces 25 turnovers and holds Western Kentucky to […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois’ most recent loss to Wisconsin left a sour note across Illini Nation, but the future of the program remains steady. The recruits who have pledged themselves to the Orange and Blue are standing firm, none more than quarterback Michael Clayton.

Clayton, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound quarterback from Edison High School in Miami, Fla., is slated to arrive on campus in 2026. Even with the ups and downs of the current season, he’s excited to get his college career going.

Clayton said his commitment is rooted in his belief in the staff and the direction of the program. "Coaching and development that I know I’ll get there, and I believe we’ll be able to bring Big Ten championships to Champaign," he said.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

November 26, 2025

Bart Miller and Bret Bielema love their offensive line play, and with four of five starters leaving this offseason, we've seen quite a few recruits coming through Champaign this season to make sure there are enough quality options to ensure that the Illini have the quality line play in 2026 to which we've become accustomed.  To that end, Northeast Mississippi tackle Alfred Washington flipped his commitment from Marshall to the Illini last week after a prior visit to the Illini.  I like what I see from Washington, but I'd hold off on buying this jersey because he's a real wild card.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?