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By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA, Ill. — The initial application paperwork sent to NCAA offices by the University of Illinois officials never included the date 2025.

When the University of Illinois took ownership of the 300 acres of real estate in June 2020, university officials that included athletics director Josh Whitman, associate athletics director Jackie Szymoniak, Atkins Golf Club general manager Jim Buyze, Atkins Golf superintendent Nate Massey and Illinois men’s golf head coach Mike Small never anticipated getting rewarded an NCAA regional that quickly.

“Yes, the [request for proposal] that we filled out and sent to Indianapolis certainly had a different timeline on it,” Buyze said in a phone interview with IlliniGuys.com.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

May 9, 2025

No sooner had Alex Bray put his name in the transfer portal than University of Northern Iowa's defensive lineman Carter Hewitt committed to the Illini for his last year of college football. 

So, did the Illini win this "trade"?  I'd say so, by just a little bit. 

Illinois Receives Commitment From State Champion Blake Fagbemi

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 7, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – We at IlliniGuys didn't believe the Illini were done with recruiting and it turns out they weren't. Late tonight, we confirmed that 5-foot-10 guard Blake Fagbemi has joined Illinois' 2025 class.

Illinois finishes ninth in its seventh NCAA Regional appearance […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 7, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With “Portal Kombat” becoming a major storyline for Division I basketball players, some high school recruits are paying attention to schools to see if they’re being recruited over, but not running from competition.

Illinois four-star recruit Keaton Wagler is one of them, but he's not scared. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard from Shawnee, Kansas, is known as a scorer. That’s part of the reason Illinois associate head coach Orlando Antigua convinced head coach Brad Underwood that Wagler is a steal.

Illinois tumbles to 10th in NCAA Columbus Regional but […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 6, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Dennis Scheidt)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women’s basketball program has plenty to be excited about in its 2025 recruiting class. ESPN ranks the class eighth nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten, with UCLA close behind. World Exposure Report has the Illini at No. 11.

Replacing scoring will be a priority next season. Illinois Nation was thrilled when Villanova transfer guard Maddie Webber committed to the Illini, bringing a scoring punch to the wing. Still, fans continue to ask if another piece will be added, particularly in the post. According to sources, there is a good chance, but the more important question may be whether Illinois truly needs more.

One reason that answer may be “no” is freshman Manuela Alves-Fernandez, a 6-foot-3 wing/post player from IMG Academy.

After the first round of play at the 2025 […]

The House vs. NCAA settlement ruling by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken has forced the Illini head coach to maintain three different roster plans heading into preseason camp in a few months.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

May 5, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is no longer fully committed to an outline plan of a 105-player roster when preseason camp opens in August.

The recent directive handed down by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in the House vs. NCAA settlement talks has forced Bielema and to have a primary plan but also backup plans for his roster size for the upcoming 2025 season.

The federal judge told the lawyers for the NCAA and its member schools last month that she would not approve the multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement that is expected to reshape the economics of college sports unless the language of the proposed policy for limiting roster sizes was change.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 4, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women’s basketball program has extended a scholarship offer to Quincy, Illinois, freshman Khloe Nicholson, already regarded as one of the top players in the country.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 4, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Depending on who you ask, the 2025-26 Illinois men's basketball roster might be finalized. Still, others feel it’s only early May, and the Illini have a history of adding star players late in the offseason.

But for now, let’s dive into the current roster and evaluate where Illinois stands compared to the rest of the Big Ten Conference.

Illinois veteran defensive back Tyler Strain will be returning to the 2025 roster after investigating transfer options.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

May 2, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Tyler Strain will not be playing his final year of eligibility elsewhere.

Within the back-and-forth movement of the Illinois roster in this post-spring transfer portal window, the veteran defensive back has elected to return to Bret Bielema’s Illini roster for the 2025 season after initially entering the transfer portal to gauge interest in his services outside of Champaign-Urbana.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

May 2, 2025

Not that the Illinois recruiting budget is suffering with a surge of fan support, not to mention the influx of CFP money, but hat's off to Bret Bielema for saving recruiting money by adding yet another brother of an Illinois player under Bielema (that makes 7!).  Nathan Knapik, who played only 23 snaps for Idaho in his redshirt freshman campaign last year, is joining his brother Ayden in transferring to the Illini from Idaho.  Ayden was an all-conference player in his last year at Idaho, but Nathan is largely an unknown so when Coach Bielema offered him a spot it was largely... based on Ayden.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst May 1, […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

April 30, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Once again, Illinois men’s head basketball coach Brad Underwood has caught the attention of local and national college basketball analysts, gurus and sports commentators this week.

One of those analysts, The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, referenced recent commit Andrej Stojakovic during a podcast, saying, “Stojakovic is a guy who gives Illinois a scorer on the perimeter that they desperately needed. It's fascinating to see the experiment that Brad Underwood has put together in Champaign. You would have thought he would have been the last coach on the planet who would have gone this route. He's gone all in with international guys. We know Illinois will be fun to watch, we know they're going to score, but can they guard?”