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Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 24, 2022

Tuesday afternoon, Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman announced former Dayton, Ohio, coach Shaun Green as the next women's basketball coach to lead the Fighting Illini.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

March 24, 2022

CHAMPAIGN -- So, since I was stuck in airports during the open media window and interviews coming out of the first Illinois spring practice, we’re going to go ahead and call this the second practice report and forget that the first practice existed. Yes, it existed and this report may reference what Illinois second-year head coach Bret Bielema said on Tuesday but this is just a convoluted explanation to you, the loyal reader, why the first IlliniGuys.com practice report is titled ‘Practice Report No. 2’.

Welcome to the second day of spring practices for the Illinois football program on colder, cloudy day where the forecast called for spitting rain but it didn’t deter the squad led by Bielema from practicing outside on the Memorial Stadium turf.

The one major takeaway is the speed and tempo that this offense wants to run with now that former UTSA offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. is in charge of the play-calling. The one thing we’ve consistently told our subscribers at IlliniGuys.com is we don’t expect the offensive philosophy or formations to change a lot because both Bielema and Lunney believe in a power running game out of big packages that can and should be able to set up a play-action pass game. So, except Illinois to find itself in a lot of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) a lot and even some 22 personnel (two running backs, one wide receiver and two tight ends) some because of Luke Ford’s versatility to block inside the tackle box but also be split out in the slot.

(Editor's note: this was originally published Wednesday morning on the IlliniGuys message forum)

March 24, 2022

From Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

Guys, I expect to return after a couple of days of following through with conversations and such. The Illini used 15 scholarships this year, subtract Frazier, Plummer and Williams who are out of eligibility.

Here's where we stand at the moment:

Dain Dainja (1) - Very high on this kid.
Luke Goode (2) - Role player, glue guy that can shoot it
RJ Melendez (3) - Potential star.
Brandin Podziemski (4) - They love his toughness. I think Podz wants to give it a try after the 5th year guys are gone and compete for PT with the frosh.

Bret Bielema has said early and often that he’s searching for his version of a Ayo Dosunmu-type impact recruit to build the foundation for a rebuild of Illini football. Kaden Feagin wants that label. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 23, 2022

ARTHUR, Ill. -- Nearly a year ago to the day, Illinois new head coach Bret Bielema said he was still looking for his Ayo Dosunmu.

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting
March 14, 2022

Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema has landed his basketball version of Ayo Dosunmu in football today.

Kaden Feagin is a 6-foot-3, 221-pound athlete from Arthur, Illinois, a four-star recruit who is definitely a difference maker.

Feagin has explosive speed, strength, and vision with 4.5 speed.

Why is this such a big deal for the coaching staff and the football program? In just his second year Bielema and his staff have proven they can now battle the upper echelon teams in the country.

Feagin picked Illinois over the likes of Iowa, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Notre Dame, Purdue, Tennessee, and Rutgers.

This verbal will show how serious Illinois is when it comes to keeping the best players in the state, which is what Bielema said he would do, and it shows nationally; if you come to Illinois, the days of just taking football without a fight are done.

The Illinois recruit told IlliniGuys previously, "I've been to campus a few times, the game time experience was amazing to me. With a new staff, Illinois is a completely new team now."

Getting this commitment from Feagin early will be a sign to other potential prospects that Illinois is going to win top-notch recruiting battles.

Please follow me on Twitter @KedPrince4

Email: PrinceKedric@yahoo.com

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 16, 2022

Elliott Spencer is a 6-foot-9, 210-pound combo forward from St. Pius X in Georgia in the class of 2023.

Zain Bando, IlliniGuys Student Correspondent

March 22, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, IL – The vibes inside State Farm Center dawned a new era for the Illinois women’s basketball team.

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuy

March 22, 2022

What a ride for Trent Frazier and Da'Monte Williams. Went from the cellar to the penthouse in the Big Ten.

Zain Bando, IlliniGuys Student Correspondent March 22, 2022 CHAMPAIGN, […]

The Illinois football program will be operating its second set of spring practices under head coach Bret Bielema and first spring session with new quarterback Tommy DeVito and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 22, 2022

CHAMPAIGN -- Bret Bielema gets to open his second set of spring practices this morning with numerous questions to answer and problems to solve before the Illini squad host the annual Orange and Blue Game on Thursday, April 21 under the lights at Memorial Stadium. 

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and Illini players still confused over explanation over the technical foul RJ Melendez was given in the NCAA Tournament second round loss to Houston. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 21, 2022

PITTSBURGH -- RJ Melendez still doesn’t know exactly how he’s supposed to handle his breakaway dunk to properly appease game official Brian O'Connell. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 21, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

PITTSBURGH -- “Coaches decision.”

This was the two-word answer from Illinois head coach Brad Underwood on why sophomore point guard Andre Curbelo sat on the Illini bench for the final 26 minutes of their 68-53 loss in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

The answer was short and, coming off a crushing 15-point loss to end the season, it certainly wasn’t sweet.

Curbelo, who missed 11 straight games from Nov. 26 to Jan. 14 with issues related to a concussion diagnosis, had a roller coaster of a 2021-22 season that started by being named to preseason national watch lists. Ultimately, Curbelo’s second season at Illinois ends with him not being on the playing floor after the 6:03 mark of the first half of Sunday’s game.

“What a year!!!!!! A lot of up and down moments but we still standing 10 toes down. Time to reflect!!! Coming back stronger than ever,” Curbelo posted on Twitter immediately after the loss on Sunday. “Didn’t go the way we wanted but we fought through a lot of adversity. Love my brothers for life.”

In the post-game media conference, Underwood addressed a reporter's question...

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy March 21, 2022 The Illini ran […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 20, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

PITTSBURGH -- The final moment for the Illinois seniors resulted in another disappointing NCAA Tournament thud.

Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams, Jacob Grandison and Alfonso Plummer will never wear an Illinois uniform again after March 20, 2022 and all four of those players will be taking that jersey off following a second round exit when they were the higher seed. The exit of these four players comes in a 68-53 loss to an aggressive Houston squad and another sputtering offensive outing where they were 4 of 18 from the field, 3 of 14 from the three-point arc.

“We didn't shoot it very well. We played well enough; we didn't shoot it very well. You look at our two games here, and we just -- we just shot it terrible,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. “I've been through more things this year with this team than I have my entire career put together. And that's 35 years.”

By IlliniGuys Staff March 20, 2022 (Cover photo courtesy […]