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March 28, 2022

Good Monday afternoon from the IlliniGuys! Sitting here in the state-of-the-art IlliniGuys studio (that's a wink to everyone who listens to our radio show) and anticipating all that's about to happen in the week ahead.

IlliniGuys Insider Brad Sturdy is like your favorite nurse at the doctor's office; he's got his finger on the pulse of Illini basketball!   He's always sharing his notes on our message forum for premium subscribers.  If you have a friend who seems to know what's going on inside the program or hears of things before you do, well...they probably know Brad OR subscribe to IlliniGuys.com!

Here's his latest offerings, including the latest on 5-star recruit Skyy Clark:

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 25, 2022

Andrew Hines is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker from Atlanta, Georgia, who made the trip to Champaign recently and came away in awe.

The Illinois offensive line personnel give the Illini coaches more options but also more debate as to the starting five going into the 2022 season. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 26, 2022

CHAMPAIGN -- For what you'd expect in a first-year coaching staff, Bart Miller arguably walked into a more ready-made situation than several of his colleagues.

Zain Bando, IlliniGuys Student Correspondent

March 27, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Casey Washington may be losing his hair, but not his confidence.

March 27, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

So what does a Big Ten tournament championship followed by a Big Ten regular season title bring you?

In the words of one message board insider  - "Illinois is now competing with the Kentuckys of the world and the big boys know it.  Illinois is back!"

The IlliniGuys message forums saw a record number of members online Saturday night as everyone speculates on the latest whispers.  Could a major decision with serious impact on the Illini's future success take place this week?

Here's the latest from IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy and our team of insiders.  If you didn't already know, Sturdy is the pre-eminent Illini basketball insider and you can find his stuff only on IlliniGuys.com. And we tease him a lot, but IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince knows every mom in the country. His latest one-on-one conversation is below.

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 25, 2022

The Illinois basketball team was on top of the world, winning a Big Ten Championship for the first time in 17 years. 

March 26, 2022

You may have heard that there's no offseason in college basketball and it's 100% true.  The Illini coaching staff had yet to touch down back in Champaign last Sunday night after being ousted from the NCAA tournament when their second season began:

Recruiting.  Or, as we call it here, "'cruitin' season!"

If you have followed along in the past, you know this isn't for the faint of heart.  These players are young men with all kinds of dreams and, sometimes, with all kinds of voices in their ear...sometimes telling them things that may or may not be in their best interests.

The result is a roller coaster of emotions, messages, things said or written -- all which can be interpreted in a number of ways, good or bad.

We're really fortunate to have the best in the business on our side.  IlliniGuys Insider Brad Sturdy, joined by Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince, leads our team of insiders that keep us updated with the very latest regarding the Illini:  who is staying, thinking of leaving, turning pro, on the fence...and what top transfers have their sights set on Orange and Blue.

We have no idea where this will all land, so all we can do is say 'strap in' and get ready.  Sturdy delivers the good on an almost daily basis and sparks so much conversation that our message boards stay in midseason form.

Here's his latest contribution.  Some eye-popping stuff here and a possible foreshadowing of some decisions and/or announcements that could take as early as this week.

For up-to-the-minute updates, subscribe to IlliniGuys.com.  Don't get left out!

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

March 26, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Matt Stevens/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN -- Once again (and for the last time), 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 third practice report but forget that the first practice existed.

Steve Sturm, IlliniGuys Football Analyst

March 24, 2022

Illinois made its first big splash on the recruiting front when 4-star athlete Kaeden Faegin of Arthur, Illinois decided to stay close to home when he chose the Illini. 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

March 25, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Prep Redzone)

The Fighting Illini are off to a great start with the class of 2023 after Wednesday's commitment of 4-star running back Kaden Feagin from Arthur-Lovington looking to lead the charge.

With the Knights' highly-touted two-way star in the fold, head coach Bret Bielema now locks in on making good on his pledge of prioritizing the best in-state prospects.  And that means Antwon Hayden is high on his priority list..

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker/athlete from East St. Louis will visit the Illinois campus this weekend. 

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