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Illinois head coach Brad Underwood restructured his contract to give himself some long-term security and Illini officials got a national no-compete clause. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.  — Brad Underwood’s new contract shows a fair amount of give-and-take negotiating action where the Illini head coach took a small haircut in salary leading to the potential of more long-term money. 

Officials within the University of Illinois athletics (DIA), specifically Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman, was able to get his men’s basketball head coach to agree to a nationwide no-compete clause by giving Underwood a seven-figure signing bonus and the possibility of more automatic one-year extensions that would guarantee the Illini head coach stay in his current job until after the 2034-35 season. 

Underwood’s base salary of $4.4 million will not change annually throughout the course of the new deal and therefore, the Illini head coach essentially took a $1.5 million total pay cut over the guaranteed six years ($27.9 million to $26.4 million) but that is before you add in an instant $1 million signing bonus, slight increase in Underwood's termination buyout and his annual incentive compensation for simply staying in the current job he has now, it's merely appears to be just a restructuring of money where DIA gets some cash back now to pay it back to Underwood with interest in the back portion incentives of the deal. 

The deal was approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in its meeting in Urbana on May 22. 

In similar vague language

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Junior college defensive back Donovan Turner quietly became one of Illinois football’s latest additions on a busy recruiting day that included headline commitments from in-state standouts Nasir Rankin (Morgan Park) and King Liggins (Brother Rice).

Later Wednesday evening, Turner, a 6-foot-1, 192-pound defensive back, made his pledge to the Illini. While Rankin and Liggins justifiably garnered most of the attention, Turner’s story is one of resilience and belief.

The 2024-25 Illinois men’s golf season is over after they fall below the top 15 team cutline after just 54 holes of competition at the 2025 NCAA Championships.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 25, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The 2024-25 season is over for the University of Illinois men’s golf team at least two days before their own expectations.

Illinois was eliminated Sunday from the 2025 NCAA Championships after just three days of the stroke play format as they failed to make the top 15 team cutline after 54 holes of competition. A 16-over-par 304 team score saw the Illini tumble down the team leaderboard for the second consecutive day and this fall led to Illinois leaving the national tournament before the 72 holes of stroke play were completed for the first time since 2019. The third-round team score on Sunday by Illinois was the fourth-worst number posted in the 30-team field.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

May 25, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

It was a huge day for Illini football on May 21st.  First came the announcement that Illinois has sold all of the publicly available season tickets for the upcoming season, and then three(!) recruits pledged to the Illini within a series of hours.  I'm starting this run of recruits with the headliner though: Morgan Park's Nasir Rankin.  Rankin has been a priority recruit for the Illini this year because he's a Chicago Public League recruit at a position of need in the near future.  As we've all followed this recruitment though, there's been a lot of talk about things other than whether Illinois would win the battle over USC and others.  Instead, the talk is whether Rankin's talk of not only playing two positions... but two sports.... is accurate.  I'll get into that below, but for now, I found it very telling that Rankin's highlights were focused only on his best position: wide receiver.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Despite posting a 9-over-par team score on Saturday, Illinois can still find itself just three shots from the eighth and final qualifying spot into the match play of the NCAA Championships.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The view of where Illinois stood on the team leaderboard never looked as bleak on Saturday as it did after Ryan Voois sank his final putt early in the afternoon.

And then the Illinois team got the opportunity to sit back and watch 15 other teams finish its second round of the 2025 NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

Following several hours of golf chaos on college golf’s biggest national stage, the 9-over-par team score for Illinois didn’t seem nearly as tragic and with two rounds remaining, the Illini still find themselves within striking distance of making the top eight cutline for the match play portion of the tournament.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 24, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Just think: in today’s world, people can pay bills through cell phones, drive cars that help them stay in lanes if they nod off, and hit golf balls 40 to 50 yards farther thanks to technology-enhanced drivers.

In the ever-evolving world of college basketball recruiting, the conversation has shifted dramatically as well. With the explosive growth of the NCAA transfer portal, high school gymnasiums, once sacred scouting grounds for coaches, are beginning to feel outdated.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

May 24, 2025

The Illini defense added a playmaker last week with the commitment of Elida, Ohio defensive lineman Parker Crim.  Crim is a 6'3, 235 pound end who put up video game numbers last year with 101 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.  He also had at least four high major offers (Iowa State, Boston College and Kentucky).  However, he's a tough kid to evaluate.  Take a peek:

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Despite collectively falling off in the final holes once again, Illinois found itself inside the top eight after the first day of the 2025 NCAA Championships.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 23, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

While leaning on the talents of its star trio, Illinois managed to hang onto one of the top eight match play qualifying spots following the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Championships.

The Illini’s top three players of Ryan Voois, Max Herendeen and Jackson Buchanan managed to combine to post 2-under-par 286 to lead the Illini to a three-way tie for fifth place with after its first 18 holes at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 23rd, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Nike EYBL basketball event took place in Memphis, Tenn., this past weekend, and Illinois assistant coach Geoff Alexander was in attendance. Among his priorities: checking in on one of the premier AAU teams in the state, MeanStreets.

Peoria basketball has historically been good to the Illini, producing talent that helped elevate the program. But in recent years, the talent level hasn’t matched that tradition. Iowa commit Cooper Koch is one of the most recent standouts, but now another name is emerging: Quinton Kitt of East Peoria.

Illinois head coach Mike Small has elected to go with a pair of freshmen, Jake Birdwell and Trey Marrion, in his opening round lineup for the NCAA Championships starting Friday.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 23, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA, Ill. — Regardless of the particular order, Illinois head coach Mike Small knew the first three names he’d be writing down on his lineup card when first round tee times were created for the 2025 NCAA Championships.

It’s the final two names, and what the Illini can count on for production out of those spots, that Small still has questions about heading into the sport’s national championship tournament that starts Friday morning.

As new long-term contracts for the football and men’s basketball head coaches were approved today, Illinois athletics director has completed his gamble on betting the coaches he trusts the most.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 22, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Mike Cagley/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In some way, shape or form, every athletics director at a power conference program is a gambler.

Like it or not, a big part of Josh Whitman’s job description is consistently making decisions with multi-million dollars of consequences for the current and future revenue of his department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. When he commits that kind of guaranteed money to a head coach, it’s part of what he calls “the formula of success”.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

May 22, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The idea of ‘speed dating’ has been used by several power conference coaching staffs to describe the current process of transfer portal recruiting and the term might not be more applicable than to Donovan Turner’s verbal pledge.

Turner, a 6-foot-1 and 192-pound defensive back, gave his verbal pledge to commit to Illinois on Wednesday evening after crossing the country with his high school and early college football journey. Turner was most recently a 2024 first-team selection in the Southern California Football Association National Division All-Central League while playing at the junior college level at Long Beach (Calif.) City College. Turner had 30 total tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions in nine games last season after transferring back near his hometown after playing the 2022 and 2023 seasons at the University of Massachusetts.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 21, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There's an old saying: "Strike while the iron is hot." The Illinois football program, in just four years under head coach Bret Bielema, has rapidly transformed into a contender.

With several quality wins on the field, success in recruiting high school players, and savvy use of the transfer portal, Illinois is making its mark. It’s no surprise that one of the state’s top prospect in the Class of 2026, wide receiver Nasir Rankin, committed to the Illini today.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 21, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The state of Illinois continues to be a fertile recruiting ground for Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini.

King Liggins, a three-star defensive lineman from Brother Rice High School in Chicago, announced his commitment to Illinois, becoming the fifth in-state recruit to pledge to the Illini in the 2026 class.

Illinois sophomore Max Herendeen knows his golf swing is in good form but his mental game needs a reboot before the Illini head to the NCAA Championships in California.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 21, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA, Ill. — It’s a good news, bad news week for Max Herendeen.

With a week to prepare for the upcoming NCAA Championships, the Illinois sophomore All-Big Ten selection currently believes the technical components of his golf swing are more than solid.

Following his three days of play last week at the 2025 NCAA Urbana Regional, Herendeen made it very clear that his issues were a golf mental and golf maturity issue.