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Illinois trying to will themselves to the NCAA Championships for the 17th time in the last 18 years of its existence after a poor start. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 19, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Mike Small’s biggest gripe about the mentality of the players on his 2025-26 team is their inability to physically, mentally and emotionally deal with something suddenly bad happening in a competition going well right up to that point.

The good news for him and his players about the 2026 Athens (Ga.) Regional is the Illinois head men’s golf coach found out what happens when bad stuff happens to his players first.

A cavalcade of mistakes leading to big numbers on individual holes resulted in a very disappointing even-par opening round on Monday and a multiple-shot deficit for Illinois to do what is considered historically basic in postseason play - advancing to the NCAA Championships. 

However, these unforced roadblocks didn’t happen in a second round situation similar to the most recent league title event in Oregon or a final round collapse such as the 2025 Big Ten Championships. The fact that the start to this tournament at the University of Georgia Golf Course was so poor is something Small is trying to mentally press on his players that the bad day is already out of their system. 

Illinois attempted to prove that idea was true on Tuesday

Illinois made up a pair of strokes and jumped a team in its second-round comeback effort in the 2026 NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 19, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illinois men’s golf team has put together a possible pathway to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the 17th time in the last 18 years of its existence.

Illinois executed one of the best second-round performances in the 2026 NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional on Tuesday with a 9-under-par mark that included all of its four qualifying scores being under-par rounds. Mike Small’s 2025-26 squad found that the scoring conditions at the University of Georgia Golf Course on Tuesday morning and afternoon allowed for birdies and low numbers to be grabbed much more frequently than during Monday’s opening round of competition. 

On a day where the scoring average of the entire field dropped by approximately 1.5 strokes from Monday’s first-round action, Illinois posted the second-best score of the day to close its gap to the fifth and final transfer spot into the NCAAs from five to two.

When Illinois’ group of five players tee it up Wednesday morning, the Illini will sit in seventh place in the 13-team regional - one shot back of the College of Charleston, two back of fifth-place Brigham Young and just three back of host Georgia. 

Illinois men’s golf will need a multi-shot comeback over the next two days to advance to the NCAA Championships.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 18, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

A comeback effort over the next two days will be required by Illinois to make another appearance in the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. 

Illinois finished the first round of the NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional five strokes back from the top five cutline after a disappointing opening day at the University of Georgia Golf Course. The finished in a two-way tie for eighth in the 13-team regional field with an even-par team score that saw them near the bottom of the leaderboard throughout the day and a double-digit deficit from the program’s third straight regional championship. 

The problem of big numbers on single holes was the culprit for nearly the entire Illinois roster on Monday as the Illini made a combined five scores of double bogey or worse in its combined 90 holes of play on the 7,258-yard, par-71 track that played nearly a shot over par for the entire field. 

Max Herendeen led the Illini on Monday in what could only be categorized as the most roller coaster mix of birdies and big numbers by an elite two-time All-American. Herendeen was able to post a 2-under 69 thanks to eight birdies that was mixed in with a bogey, a double bogey and a triple bogey early in his round on the 210-yard, par-3 third hole. 

The third-year star player managed to rally from the major error on No. 3 with birdies and the fourth, fifth and seventh holes to make the turn in even-par 35. Herendeen would get to 3-under through 13 and seemed on pace to challenge for the individual lead but a double-bogey 6 on the par-4, 418-yard 14th hole preceded a birdie-bogey-birdie-par finish to his round. 

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

May 18, 2026

Illinois re-started its Class of 2027 with its first commitment in two months when Lincoln Way (East) offensive lineman Mason Halliman committed to the Illini over offers from most of the upper tier of the Big Ten. Halliman will join high school teammate Jacob Alexander with the Illini and with Alexander's shift to the defensive line, they'll even get the chance to work against each other in practice just as they surely did at Lincoln Way. Halliman is an interesting case because he looks great playing against the best 8A competition in the State of Illinois. However, his future is a big roll of the dice.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Halliman played left tackle at Lincoln-Way, and he

Trey Marrion walked IlliniGuys.com through how he was able to post a 5-under 65 in the final round of the 2026 Big Ten Championships just 24 hours after being physically incapable of playing due to violent flu-like symptoms because of likely food poisoning.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 17, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA — Trey Marrion knew something was seriously wrong on a Saturday morning when he woke up with violent stomach cramps and rolled over to see the clock on his phone said it was only 4 a.m. 

The next few hours, beyond amidst multiple vomiting and being unable to get any liquids to stay in his system, were something the 20-year-old said were “the most difficult since I came to college”. Marrion believes the dinner he ordered the night before had caused possible food poisoning because he told his parents that he felt completely healthy days earlier before getting on the plane to Oregon for the 2026 Big Ten Conference Championships. 

Just hours before he was supposed to take the first tee of the second round of the league’s premier event, Marrion said “I can’t remember” how he was able to get himself dressed and down to the team hotel lobby. 

“I won’t get into too much into the gross details but I must have vomited four times in my room before 5 a.m. and I had never been that sick before,” Marrion said in an exclusive interview with IlliniGuys.com. “I was the first one to get down to the hotel lobby and the coaches looked at me for about two seconds, pulled me aside and said they knew something was wrong.”

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) May 17, 2026 CHAMPAIGN, […]

The University of Illinois leadership have become notorious every May for slightly tweaking the contract of men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 16, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN — Whether it’s adding a nationwide no-compete with a pay bump then adding years and contract incentives with a pay bump and now a one-year extension with a pay bump, this is the third straight year that the University of Illinois Board of Trustees May meeting addressing Brad Underwood’s long-term contract.

For the third straight offseason, Underwood, his agent Bret Just and Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman have agreed to amendments to the Illini men’s basketball head coach’s multi-year contract. On Thursday afternoon, Illinois athletics announced in a media release all parties had come together on a deal “which runs through the 2031-32 season but could now extend through the 2035-36 season, based on team performance over the next four seasons”.

In May 2025, Underwood had agreed to a three-year contract extension that got his deal to a guaranteed six seasons but also had the likely possibility of four automatically triggered one-year extensions upon meeting certain performance benchmarks. In this newly amended agreement announced Thursday, Illinois administration simply agreed to replace the guaranteed year along with the automatic one-year extension that Underwood earned following the Illini’s most recent 2025-26 season that ended with a trip to the Final Four for the third time in the modern era.

It’s important to know

May 16, 2026

IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy delivered the latest goods on the premium message boards yesterday:

Basketball Discussion | Illiniguys.com

Illini coaches will

Sean Rice, a 6-foot-2 and 210-pound linebacker prospect from St. Laurence High School, is the third commitment in a six-day period for Bret Bielema’s Illini program.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

May 15, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN — Sean Rice has become the fourth in-state verbal pledge to the Illinois 2027 recruiting class.

Rice is the third commitment in a six-day period in what has been a much more news-worthy recruiting month for Bret Bielema’s Illini program. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker prospect from Evergreen Park, Ill., joins Lincoln-Way East offensive lineman Mason Halliman and Morton offensive lineman Soren Fifer in a 2027 recruiting class that for multiple months had no more than two verbal pledges and was down to one - Evanston cornerback Justin Johnson - after the decommitment of four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati.

After getting an offer from Illinois linebackers coach Archie McDaniel in late November, Rice took an unofficial visit in early April to a spring practice session at Memorial Stadium in Champaign while having scheduled several official visits to Illini league rivals at Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

May 15, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois continued addressing its need along the defensive front with a commitment from junior college defensive lineman Joshua Davis, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound prospect from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi.

Just days ago, IlliniGuys spoke with Davis about his growing relationship with the Illinois coaching staff. At the time, the Mississippi native hinted strongly at his interest in the Illini program. Now, Illinois has secured another important piece for its future defensive line.
Davis said the passion surrounding Illinois football played a major role in his decision.

“When we talked the other day, I was so excited then, but

Illinois trying to find momentum from a comeback effort in a second-place finish last week at the 2026 Big Ten Championships. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 15, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA — A few months ago Illinois men’s golf head coach Mike Small has what he calls a running joke assessment with assistant coaches Ruben Sondjaja and Eric Gilpin about the 2025-26 team. 

“I was casually mentioning to them in passing at (the Demirjian Golf Practice Facility) in fun that this team seems like everything is great until something hits the fan,” Small said. “And then they don’t handle that thing very well.” 

Small’s casual psychological diagnosis of his team could be seen as a reflection of the 2026 Big Ten Championships where Illinois bolted out to a first-round lead, saw it spectacularly fall apart on the second day but provided for a confidence-building comeback effort on the final day. 

“I was pretty frustrated, to be honest,” Illinois third-year star player Max Herendeen said about the trip back to Champaign-Urbana from Oregon. “I think we all know that the second round wasn’t acceptable. That final day was huge because we gave ourselves a chance. That final nine holes was a situation where they really mattered and that was fun. I just know I enjoyed playing that final day.” 

Small’s comment nearly perfectly represents what Herendeen has called a “frustrating” spring season but despite not meeting his personal standards in every tournament he’s participated in this spring, the third-year player is still seen as one of the world’s best amateur players. Herendeen was selected for the second time in his career to compete in the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup as part of Team USA by being the one captain’s pick on the team. Herendeen competed last summer in the prestigious Ryder Cup-style event on home soil but will once again represent Team USA as they take on Team International at Tralee Golf Links in West Barrow, Ireland from July 3-5. Herendeen is the eighth different Illini men's golfer to compete at the Palmer Cup. Illinois has now sent a representative to the event five times in the last six years and 11 times since 2010. Herendeen joins Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Thomas Detry as the third Fighting Illini to play in the event twice, and the first to do so with Team USA. Other Illini to compete in the Arnold Palmer Cup are: Tommy Kuhl (2023), Adrien Dumont de Chassart (2021 and 2022), Nick Hardy (2017), Charlie Danielson (2016), Thomas Detry (2014 and 2015), Thomas Pieters (2012), and Scott Langley (2010).

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) May 14, 2026 (Cover […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

May 14, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Matt Stevens/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The recruiting momentum continues to build for the Illinois football program as the Illini added another commitment to their growing future class today.

Just one day after landing junior college tight end Benjamin Thurman from the College of San Mateo in California, Illinois dipped back into the high school ranks and secured a commitment from in-state offensive lineman Soren Fifer of Morton High School.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

May 14, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Those around the Illinois football program understand the defensive line remains an area of focus for Bret Bielema and his staff.

The Illini are continuing to explore the junior college ranks in search of talent up front, and one prospect who has emerged on Illinois’ radar is 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman Joshua Davis of Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mendenhall, Mississippi, in the class of 2026

Illinois managed to finish the final two days at […]