Featured

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

July 14, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Prep Hoops)

Jackson Kotecki is a 6-foot-9, 210 pound forward from St. Ignatius High School who has battled hard this summer and may have turned a few heads.

Class: 2023

Why Illinois:  Looking for players to maybe backup others would be what Kotecki is; he is not going to make you spill your popcorn, but he would be a nice piece to add to the rotation that will give you some size. He is not weak, he is not a "project," but has good footwork and is a willing passer. He battled big men all weekend at the Riverside Brookfield Shootout last month and Illinois coaches took notice.

By IlliniGuys Staff

(Cover photo courtesy Shaw Local)

The busy recruiting/evaluation period of July is underway and nobody has his eye on the ball like IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy.

For anyone who wants to know where Illinois basketball stands in recruiting, this is a must-read:

For the first time since taking the job, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was able to show what sets his June football camps apart from his competition and it’s the one-on-one instruction of his staff.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 13, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Following his performance over the last two hours at the Illinois prospect camp last month, Ryan Kerscher spent over 15 minutes talking with the Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. 

Did the conversation result in a scholarship offer to the 2023 quarterback prospect from Walsh Jesuit High School near Cleveland? No. 

Was a preferred walk-on offer made? No. 

And maybe the important part of the ordeal, does Kerscher, who enters this 2022 season as the starting quarterback of a proud program that has gone from losing 27 of its last 30 games from 2017-2019 to an 11-3 season that is coming off a 2021 playoff run to the Division 2, Region 5 Final appearance, feel his time was wasted? No. 

"I was actually talking to (Lunney Jr.) a long time after this was all over about what I need to do in order to get a walk-on opportunity at the college level and he spoke with me for a long time about the process and what that would entail for any prospect like myself.”

By Zain Bando - IlliniGuys Student Correspondent July 12, […]

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman says a complete overhaul or “dream house scenario” regarding the east and south sides of Memorial Stadium would cost around $200 million. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 6, 2022

Photos courtesy of Craig. Pessman/University of Illinois athletics department

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Fans should not expect any major renovation projects around Memorial Stadium to start anytime soon. 

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

July 10, 2022

(Cover phot0 courtesy @DFritzphotos)

The Illini coaching staff and head coach Brad Underwood have long coveted Amani Hansberry and how he produces on the court and other coaches and evaluators are beginning to catch up after a big weekend in Kansas City for the 6’8 power forward. 

His height has been much debated but he set the record straight for us. 

“I’m 6’8 now. I grew.”

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

July 10, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Teremun Lott's Twitter page)

Illinois continued its spate of early recruiting when it got a commitment from wide receiver Teremun Lott of Inlet Grove High School in Riviera Beach, Florida.  Lott is a 6'0, 170 pounder who transferred to Inlet Grove this year and managed to turn enough heads to earn his first Power Five offer from the Illini last week.  He jumped at the chance to play Big Ten football so Illini fans can look forward to seeing the speedy Lott in the fall of 2023.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Shauna Green doesn’t remember why or when she came up with the marketing phrase of ‘one way’ to describe her coaching philosophy but knows the mentality calmed any tension she’s had since.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 8, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- For the new women’s basketball head coach at Illinois, there’s not many roads leading to its version of Rome.

What Shauna Green calls “one way” since she accepted the head coaching position at Dayton in Sept. 2016, has become more than a social media hashtag for a coach nearly six years later attempting to navigate an aggressive rebuild of a Power Five Conference program without a history of success.

“I remember having a lot of thoughts in my mind when I took the Dayton (head coaching) job and so my staff and I were trying to come up with a way to brand and I kept coming up with a difficult question,” Green said. “How can I come up with one word or two words to define everything in my mind?”

Don’t ask the origin of it because Green has trouble figuring out the genesis of what became the definition of what would turn into five Atlantic 10 regular season championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances, three Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors and 127 total wins at Dayton.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

July 8th, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Varsity Stream)

According to Illinois head coach Brad Underwood you can never have enough good shooters and defenders. 

The new-look Illinois basketball program post Kofi Cockburn area is "position-less basketball". Underwood said to me a few weeks ago. “Ked, have you watched the NBA Finals?  The game is changing, that’s the kind of system players like to play in and coaches love to coach.”

Illinois has a roster right now full of players that are interchangeable, but are looking to add much more depth. Trent Pierce, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound wing from Tulsa, Ok., (Compass Prep AZ) went public earlier this week with his top 6 schools: Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

July 8, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illini coaches are out on the recruiting trail, but they know the team is in good hands back in Champaign.  The players are working out every day, getting to know each other and pushing each other to reach their individual and collective potential.

IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy posted an update this morning with some exciting developments within the team.  

--Which player is a "dog" who pushes his teammates the hardest?

--Which player is the best athlete on the team?

--Who is the biggest surprise of the summer?

Good stuff right here only on IlliniGuys.com.  Sign up for our free 7-day trial for continuous updates and premium content about your favorite sports team.

Now -- here's Mr. Sturdy!

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

July 8, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Calvin Smith's Twitter page)

I hope you've all looked at the articles or film on Mason Muragin before you read up on Calvin Smith, because checking out Muragin before you look into Smith will make you appreciate just what Illinois has in Calvin Smith.  Smith's production as a high school junior is impressive, though not as impressive as Muragin's, yet he accomplished all of that with only a small fraction of the skill that Muragin demonstrates.  Yet, Illinois was Muragin's only power five offer, while Smith counted at least 20 when the committed.  The difference is Smith's athleticism, because Muragin's skill can be taught yet there's no way to duplicate Smith's God-given talents.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

I'm sure anyone can see that Calvin Smith is an elite athlete. 

July 6, 2023

We're getting into the heat of summer and that means camps and weekend tournaments are heating up as well.

This summer is unique because of the transfer portal and the non-stop work by the Illini coaching staff, which - according to one website - put together the best haul of transfer talent in the country.

IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy hits the road as well.  He posted his notes on what lies ahead in these next few days on the message forums this morning.

Join IlliniGuys.com to read this and other insider information.  Sturdy, IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince, and IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst Matt Stevens keep you in the know on and off the field and court of play.  And you're just in time for our series of Summer Giveaways -- there's always something going on inside IlliniGuys.com!

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

July 2, 2022

Thirty-one tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, as a junior playing in Michigan's second toughest playoff division.  That should get anyone's attention right?  Well, Mason Muragin also only held one high major offer, from Illinois.  Muragin also had high major interest that would likely have materialized into another high major offer, but the fact is he was not fending off Big Ten recruiters and he was not likely to be doing so.  So, why the lack of interest?

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

June 26, 2022

Jeremiah Fears is a 6-foot combo guard at Joliet West High School

Class: 2025

Why Illinois:  Let us clear this air with this right now: after a long in-depth conversation with Jeremy Fears Sr., Jeremy Fears Jr., and Jeremiah are not the same players.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

July 4, 2022

Illinois assistant defensive backs coach Aaron Henry goes deep for another recruiting touchdown in his home state as today Illinois received a verbal commitment from Kenari Wilcher, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete from Clewiston, Florida.

Illinois has done very well as of late entering the rich state of Florida for talent.

Wilcher is a great start for help at the DB position, but after meeting with Coach Henry on his recent visit, it all seemed like a done deal early.