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By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

May 3, 2022

Illinois women's basketball coach Shauna Green is taking a page out of men's head coach Brad Underwood's playbook: Go big or stay home.

Recently Green offered one of the nation's top prospects Laci Steele, a 6-foot wing from Edmond High School in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Considered one of the nation's best wings in the class of 2023, IlliniGuys.com caught up with Steele to get her thoughts on the Illini.

The University of Illinois has ended the exploration of […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

May 2, 2022

There are some recruits that you just know will be difference makers in college. 

One Illinois prep who fits that bill is Lyons Township's Eddie Tuerk.  He's a stands 6-foot-4, 255 pound sophomore defensive lineman who many publications project as a legitimate four or five-star recruit.

We caught up with a brief question and answer segment from Tuerk.

Kedric: What were your thoughts on your visit recently, and how many offers do you have right now?

Eddie: The visit went great, I really liked it. Right now I have 16 offers. Let me think, I don't want to leave anyone off: Cincinnati, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Tennessee, and Wisconsin to name a few.

Illinois completed its 10-shot comeback win Sunday at the […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

April 28, 2022

It is springtime, more than the start of a new Major League Baseball season, the NFL Draft, and final exams. It also means spring football games for all of the colleges.

The Fighting Illini are coming off yet another losing season (5-7) but made great strides through the season and were so close to making a bowl game in year one under head coach Bret Bielema.

As talented and passionate as Bielema's assistants are in game-planning, they are equally impressive in the way they attack recruiting. Not only are they getting the top players in the state to visit, but also selling the dream and the vision that now exists at Illinois.

Last week, three-star offensive tackle prospect Brandon Henderson updated his recruiting with IlliniGuys.com after his first time on campus. Henderson is a 6-foot-6, 300-pound OT from East St. Louis, Illinois, in the class of 2023.

Illinois has added to its offensive line room with the addition of Furman offensive lineman Dylan Davis. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 1, 2022

CHAMPAIGN -- For the third straight season, Illinois has gone to the Football Championship Subdivision level for offensive line help. 

The Chicago Bears selected Illinois center/Hinsdale native Doug Kramer in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 207 overall pick. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 30, 2022

Doug Kramer Photo Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Doug Kramer will not need to move out of the Chicagoland area to start his professional football career. 

Illinois offensive tackle Vederian Lowe was taken by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round with the 184th overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 30, 2022

Cover Image:  Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Vederian Lowe’s professional football journey will begin in Minneapolis.

April 30, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Viva The Matadors)

Remember when Kedric Prince was trying to tell you on Twitter on Wednesday that you needed to join IlliniGuys.com?  Right now?!!

Now you know.  The blockbuster news we learned about then through our sources became public yesterday afternoon, when Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr. tweeted that he was joining the Fighting Illini program.

Both Kedric and Brad Sturdy have stories here on our front page about how he is such a great fit for this Illinois roster and break down what his addition means to the program.

And both have shared their respective backstories on how this happened.  Great stuff that you will find only on IlliniGuys.com!

Illinois safety Kerby Joseph was taken by the Detroit Lions in the third round with the 97th overall selection of the 2022 NFL Draft.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 29, 2022

Kerby Joseph’s draft moment included hearing his name called by an NFL Hall of Famer.

The Illinois safety was selected late on Friday in the third round with the 97th overall selection by the Detroit Lions. The man who announced Joseph’s selection at the draft in Las Vegas was arguably the most decorated player to put on a Lions jersey as former Heisman Trophy winner and Lions all-time leading rusher Barry Sanders.

Joseph finished the 2021 campaign with 57 tackles and tied for first in the nation in interceptions (five) in the 12-game regular season. He was honored by the league’s voting media members as the first-team all conference selection following his fourth season at Illinois that included being the only player in the nation with at least five interceptions and three fumble recoveries during the regular season. The Orlando native was No. 1 graded defensive back in the nation by Pro Football Focus evaluators during this 2021 regular season that saw an Illini defense see an improvement of 16 points per game and 101 yards per game from last season.

Former Texas Tech star Terrence Shannon Jr. joins Illini […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting April […]

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Staff

April 29, 2022

These are special times to be an Illini fan.

At this moment, there are only two Illini players who have ever started a game for the Orange and Blue.  And Coleman Hawkins and RJ Melendez have a total of 15 career starts between them.

So, get ready to see a lot of new faces getting a lot of playing time this upcoming season.

And that's not even the half of it.

The deadline for players to enter the transfer portal is midnight Sunday night and, with Illinois coach Brad Underwood sitting with at least three vacant scholarship spots, the conversations are non-stop.

The information flies so fast and moods change so often that we sometimes get conflicting info within the hour.

This much we know:

This winter's Fighting Illini basketball team will be the most athletic roster we've seen since the famous Flyin' Illini of 1989...and it very easily could surpass that!

We also know this --- there's one place to be for the very latest Illini inside stuff and that's IlliniGuys.com.  Our Brad Sturdy posted an update just hours ago this morning and there are some name on the potential future Illini list that will make you say 'wow!'

Unfortunately, I can't give away more than that at this moment.  But...you need to get in here.  It appears that something is about to go down...!

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 29, 2022

(Cover photo Justice Ugo's Twitter page)

The Fighting Illini football program is looking to improve its stock on the defensive side of the ball.

Justice Ugo is looking to be added to the class of 2022 roster. Ugo is 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds; he is big, strong, and very athletic.

The Illini have stepped up their recruiting game, and are now battling the big boys from the Big Ten and other top Power Five programs, including former powerhouse Florida State. Ugo just visited Tallahassee where the visit went well.

But where does the Blinn (Texas) Junior College star stand with the Illini?

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

April 28, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Ty Perkins' Twitter page)

Illinois is looking to add more quality depth to its wide-receiver department. Ty Perkins is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver from Lucasville, Ohio, who visited Illinois recently. IlliniGuys.com caught up with Perkins to get an update on his visit and recruitment. 

Right away this visit appeared to have gone much better than Perkins thought would happen.

"My visit...was amazing! My family and I had a great time in Champaign. It was so much better than my original expectations for it," Perkins said.

But it was so much more than that; the excitement from Perkins and his views on Illinois is trending upward. It is safe to say a lot of potential football recruits just have not paid much attention to what Illinois has to offer.