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(From the University of Illinois Sports Information Department)   […]

y Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

October 18, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

ZZ Clark, the brother of current Illini point guard Skyy Clark, decided it was in his best interest to re-open his recruitment.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

October 18, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

As I write this, Illinois Football is basking in the glow if it's #18 ranking in the nation and is looking at a week off to get healthy before heading to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers in two weeks.   I have to be honest here, I am enjoying writing these trench reports more and more as the Illini football program gets rolling because as I re-watch the game and take it apart piece by piece every week I get more and more encouraged by what I'm seeing.  The Illini coaching staff and players are really growing together right now and it certainly shows on the field.

Tommy DeVito showed another side to himself that was already evident from his time at Syracuse but seen first-hand on Saturday: toughness. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 17, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Ron Johnson/USA Today Sports)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois got an injection of New Jersey tough on Saturday before quarterback Tommy DeVito got a long introduction to the training room inside the Smith Football Center. When the Illini quarterback arrived at the Smith Center on the morning of Oct. 9, just hours after being knocked out of the 9-6 win over Iowa, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema knew his player was serious about his treatment schedule - and maybe nothing else. 

“So, Tommy rolls up on Sunday and he’s got a black fleece robe, a pair of eye shades on up on forehead, a slipper on one foot and a boot on the other and a bag of (McDonald’s) and I told him that you look like a guy right out of ‘The Breakfast Club’, right out of the movie,” Bielema said Saturday. “Of course, he didn’t have any idea what that movie was.” 

Illinois is ranked in the preseason Associated Press men’s […]

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

October 17, 2022

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

Following a surprising 6-1 start to the 2022 season, Illini football has newfound swagger on the recruiting trail.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

Oct. 15, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Buffalo (N.Y.) News)

After recently narrowing her final list of suitors to four schools, New York scoring machine Gretchen Dolan pulled the trigger today, committing to Shauna Green's Illinois Fighting Illini.

Illinois ranked in both the Associated Press Top 25 […]

Mike Cagley, Co-Host of the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular October […]

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema and certain star players are already campaigning for Chase Brown’s Heisman Trophy candidacy.  

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 15, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Ron Johnson/USA Today Sports)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Bret Bielema holds a marketing degree from the University of Iowa and is already trying to use those skills to increase the national viability of his star tailback into the Heisman Trophy discussion. 

Following Illinois’ 26-14 victory over Minnesota, Bielema said he’s already been in contact with national writers, Heisman voters and national commentators with influence about the nation’s leading rusher.
“I get it,” Bielema said Saturday. “There’s a lot of preseason rankings where players and teams had a lot of hype before the season but I reached out to as many contacts as I had about how special this young man is.” 

October 15, 2022 The Illini defense held Iowa to […]

Despite suffering a severe ankle injury last week vs. […]

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

October 15, 2022

Trey McKenney made the visit to Champaign back in August; the outstanding 6-foot-5, 200-pound combo guard finished the summer ranking in the top 30 nationally.

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Staff

October 15, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Anyone with the basic ability to search the internet knows about the recent history of Illinois football.  And to that end, Bret Bielema knew what he was inheriting when he said 'yes' to athletic director Josh Whitman in December 2020.

The glory days of Illini football were so long ago, many of the students on campus then are now grandparents.  In fact, in 1989 - when John Mackovic was leading the Illini to a 10-win season - Bielema himself was a teenaged Iowa defensive lineman proudly getting a Hawkeye tattoo.

The point is...it's been a while. I predicted last year that on our IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular syndicated radio show that Illinois might build a statue of Bielema if he puts together back-to-back eight-win seasons and I was only half kidding.  His tattoo has probably aged better than Illinois football, which has seen only one 10-win campaign in the three decades since Mackovic skipped town.

By Zain Bando - IlliniGuys Student Correspondent

October 14, 2022

CHAMPAIGN — No. 24 Illinois (5-1, 2-1 B1G) is in a spot it has not been in since 2011 — ranked nationally. After a rocky start that included a crushing loss to Indiana, the Illini rebounded in a big way on both sides of the ball. On offense, running back Chase Brown has continued to rack up big yardage, as he is during a seven-game surge of at least 100 yards per game. Against Iowa, despite Illinois not scoring a touchdown, Brown managed to get 146 yards on 31 carries and helped the offense control clock in the process. The Illini won the game 9-6, sealing the win with a Matthew Bailey interception on Iowa’s final drive. Illinois remains the only FBS program to not allow a touchdown at home.