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Zain Bando, IlliniGuys Student Correspondent

April 12, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Bret Bielema met with reporters Saturday afternoon in the foyer of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility to discuss a variety of topics, which included Josh McCray’s growth and development, recruiting, a young offensive line, and Ryan Johnson.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 11, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

When the staff at IlliniGuys.com told you Illinois head coach Brad Underwood was looking to change his team's look, he wasn't kidding!

Last season, Illinois broke through more than a decade of futility and won the Big Ten tournament. This year they won the Big Ten conference title for the first time since 2005. All of that is nice, but to Underwood it's also water under the proverbial bridge. It's time to push the needle and win more in the NCAA Tournament.

How do you do that? Upgrade your roster. The biggest omission from the Illini this season was more of the uber-athletic 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8 range wings who are very common in the top program and blue bloods.

April 11, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Chicago Sun-Times)

The dead recruiting period ended with a bang for the Fighting Illini staff and players with the commitment of 5-star guard Skyy Clark and a weekend visit from potential LSU transfer Brandon Murray.

But it didn't stop there.  Sunday evening brought a fresh Kofi Cockburn rumor and questions about other possible future Illini.

So - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy put heads together with IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince to compare notes...and Brad then posted this Sunday night.

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In a lot of ways, Illinois tailback Josh McCray outperformed his own expectations for his freshman season and now, he wants a lot more in 2022. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 10, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Harry Figiel/Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN -- In the time period between early August and early September, Josh McCray had doubt - a lot of it. 

As a true freshman tailback prospect and one of the first players signed by then-new Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, McCray still had what he describes as a “voice of doubt” that was telling him all that was unknown about his situation with the Illini. For the first time in his life, McCray was hundreds of miles away from his hometown of Enterprise, Ala. He was behind several experienced players on a depth chart of a Power Five Conference program. Illinois was the only power program who believed he could handle being a tailback at this level of football. 

“I would agree it’s underrated how you question everything about yourself as a first-year guy at this level. I did that,” McCray said. “I mean, I didn’t see myself being the tailback here as a freshman. I think I told people that. I was trying to get on special teams and just keep getting good practice grades when I got chances.”

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Contributor

April 9, 2022

(Cover file photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

What happened last year?

It's hard to believe looking back on things, but when Bret Bielema took over as coach of the Illinois football program the likely options for quarterback in 2021 were Isaiah Williams, Deuce Spann, Coran Taylor and Matt Robinson.  With Robinson's decision to leave the program, none of those players are still in the quarterback meeting room.  Coach Bielema transformed many things about the Illini football program after he took over, but no unit has changed more than quarterback.

When Brandon Peters agreed to return for 2021 and then Artur Sitkowski transferred in from Rutgers, it signaled that the Illini under Tony Petersen were going to focus on pocket passing rather than the athleticism that prior coordinator Rod Smith favored.  Then, Ryan Johnson joined the Illini program from Northern Michigan over the summer and the Illinois had effectively found a 1, 2 and 3 on the quarterback depth chart who all transferred in from other programs.   While this was happening, the Illini had Williams, Spann and Taylor at quarterback for spring practice, but soon thereafter they all saw the writing on the wall and switched to wide receiver, wide receiver, and safety, respectively.  The result was a fairly effective "two headed" quarterback rotation that resulted due to serious injuries to both Peters and Sitkowski. 

Texas Tech graduate transfer defensive end Devin Drew is on the Illinois campus this weekend for an official visit.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 9, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Michael C. Johnson/USA Today Sports)

CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois is hosting a Power Five Conference defensive lineman from the transfer portal this weekend. 

Multiple sources close to the Illinois football program have confirmed to IlliniGuys.com that Texas Tech defensive end Devin Drew is on campus this weekend for an official visit. Without naming the prospect, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema confirmed the Illini program is hosting an official visit this weekend and IlliniGuys.com is able to confirm Drew was on the sidelines as Illinois conducted its second scrimmage of the spring season on Saturday afternoon.

Drew, 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, is a graduate transfer who had 34 total tackles (21 solo) and seven quarterback hurries last season for the Red Raiders.

CHAMPAIGN -- Asking Illinois head coach Bret Bielema about his program's offensive line depth can't come without him mentioning his biggest issue with the local media since he accepted the job in Champaign.
In the third week of October (Oct. 18th to be exact) leading into the game at Penn State, Bielema made this comment about his offensive line depth and the future of that position in the middle of his first season as the leader of the Illini program.
“I don't believe we have a player in the two-deep that they've recruited here over the last three years that is really significantly doing anything for us in the playing department,” Bielema said on Oct. 18. “That's a major concern.”
To this day in April 2022, Bielema still believes, and likely always will feel, that comment was taken out of context and the overall point he was trying to make was after this 2021 season, the experience and talent of that position group is likely to dip after the eligibility of Doug Kramer, Vedarian Lowe, Jack Badovinac and (at that time believing) Alex Palczewski would be running out. This comment by Bielema in mid-October led to him announcing a 2022 signing class less than a month later that included high school signees and two junior college transfers to that position group.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 9, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Shaw Local)

Jaydon Wright, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back from Kankakee finally took his visit to his home state university after seeing other places in the country.

Wright did a podcast with me (Ked's Recruiting Roundup). He sat there with his brand new orange t-shirt that read FAM1LLY on it grinning from ear to ear. I asked Jaydon why he was so happy.

Jaydon said, "It was awesome today, I could not believe all the great things I saw there today. It was everything I wanted it to be and more."

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 8, 2022

The Illini coaching staff is walking tall with a bit of a strut after 5-star guard Skyy Clark announced his commitment to the Orange and Blue Thursday afternoon on ESPNU.

With the recruiting class of 2022 now done, the Illini set sights on targets in the transfer portal.  First up is LSU guard Brandon Murray.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Baltimore native by way of IMG Academy has ties to Illini assistant Chester Frazier, who also hails from Baltimore and recruited Murray years earlier when he was an assistant at Virginia Tech.

CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein reported that Murray will visit Tennessee, Illinois, and Georgetown. Murray, who averaged 10 points and three rebounds a game as a freshman for LSU, is expected to make a decision as early as Monday.

Why Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito is constantly being told by new Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. to step up in the pocket instead of scramble sideways. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 8, 2022

(Cover file photo courtesy Syracuse Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN -- The concept of stepping up in sports has become such common nomenclature that it’s rare to find the idea not being associated with a cliche. 

However, on the campus of the University of Illinois, whether it be inside Memorial Stadium or in the film room at the Smith Family Football Complex, Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. is constantly heard asking this task get completed in a literal sense with his quarterbacks. 

Following the first spring scrimmage on April 2, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said one pressing thing they’ve reinforced with all their quarterbacks, especially Syracuse transfer Tommy DeVito is the idea of physically stepping up in the pocket toward the line-of-scrimmage to make a more accurate and consistent pass down the field. 

“We’ve got to make sure he makes all the plays he makes for us and not for them. So, we’ve got to retrain,” Bielema said. “He’s been a guy where at his previous stops he’s kinda been flushed out of the pocket and we want him to step up. It’s been a good learning experience for all of us.” 

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

April 7, 2022

The Illini added 5 star Combo Guard Skyy Clark to the fold on Thursday when he chose the Illini live on ESPN. Clark, who was once committed to Kentucky, gives the Illini a top 10 recruiting class and helps soften the blow with the losses of Senior Guard Trent Frazier, DaMonte Williams and Alfonso Plummer. 

Clark is a dynamic scorer that can shoot it well from deep and knows how to facilitate as well. His ball handling is considered to be among the best in the class of 2022. Clark has the size at 6’3 to play either guard spot and will immediately provide scoring punch to the backcourt. With dynamic scoring guard Jayden Epps and an athletic guard in Sencire Harris already in the fold, Clark is a perfect fit to bring together the talents of the 3 guards. 

Illinois went to the 'Skky' for dominant guard

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 7, 2022

As the world turns in college basketball recruiting, you lose a top-notch guard and gain another one. Ten days after Illinois sophomore point guard Andre Curbelo entered the transfer portal, Illinois received a verbal commitment from 5-star do-it-all guard Skyy Clark.

The 6-foot-3, 195 pound Nashville, Tennessee native originally committed to Kentucky, but backed out of his commitment a month ago and re-opened his recruitment. Clark and his family saw what Illinois head coach Brad Underwood did by developing former Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu, turning him into a first-team All-American and the steal of the 2021 NBA Draft.

What is Illinois getting in Clark?

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 7, 2022

(Cover file photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN -- On the eighth practice of the spring season, Illinois was able to welcome back one of their critical personnel pieces of the offensive line in the form of Julian Pearl.

The junior from Danville, who is projected to be slotted in at one of the tackle spots during this upcoming 2022 season, was on the field in full pads Thursday and going through the two-man blocking drills during the open media viewing period. Pearl started five games at guard and five games at tackle in 2021 and is only behind Alex Palczewski in career starts by returning offensive linemen at Illinois.

Pearl had been absent from spring workouts due to an offseason injury in

Pearl was working a two-man blocking drill alongside Isaiah Adams, who is expected to compete for the tackle spot, which will likely be on the left side, that is on the opposite side of Pearl. Pearl, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound former basketball player at Danville (Ill.) High School, was wearing a piece of protective equipment on his left hand that looked very similar to the mitts typically given to baserunners in baseball to avoid them jamming their fingers, specifically a thumb, while sliding into a base.

Shauna Green is entering a world of college basketball that now includes the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness money helping any first-year head coach.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 7, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Dayton Flyers Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN -- Alex Mikos instantly laughed at the idea that the new Illinois women’s basketball coach was committed to a slow, long and instantly painful rebuild as a first-year head coach.

Mikos has been the play-by-play broadcasting voice of Dayton women’s basketball since Green was an assistant coach of the Flyers program and then was brought back to be the program’s head coach in 2016.

When it was suggested that the Illinois program, which hasn’t made an NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003, that is coming off a five-season stretch under Nancy Fahey where they won just 42 of a 141-game period is on the road of a long-term rebuild that could produce at least a couple more losing seasons, Mikos couldn’t help but interject.

“So, anybody who tells you she's treating this as a slow rebuild, doesn't know Shauna very well,” Mikos said. “She won't accept losing. It'll eat at her if they're not building something pretty good in a quick manner.”

Losing is something Mikos hasn’t seen Green do a lot at Dayton. In her first season at the Flyers' head coach, Green led a program that went from 14 wins to 22 wins where she won the WBCA Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year following a 13-3 Atlantic 10 Conference record and a berth in the NCAA Division I Tournament.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

April 6, 2022

The Illini have entered the transfer portal. Not to actually transfer, but instead they are going to wading through the waters of the transfer portal for players that can make them better as they head into year six of the Brad Underwood era. Coming off a Big Ten Championship, the Illini are wanting to become a team that reloads instead of rebuilds and, with the possible exodus of all 5 starters, the transfer portal is the way to do that. Here’s a look at some players to keep an eye on in the coming weeks: 

The biggest player for Illinois, both literally and figuratively, remains Kofi Cockburn. The 7-foot consensus 1st team All-American has until April 24 to announce his intentions to enter the draft or stay at Illinois, and the Illini coaching staff would like him to do it sooner rather than later. His return would immediately raise the floor of the team and allow Illinois to focus on other guys in the portal. But should Cockburn surprise and turn down the large NIL package and go pro, Illinois has been looking at some options. The problem is that, until there is a decision, very few players want to come and compete with Kofi.