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By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 4, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Mack Sutter)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In a span of less than a week, the Illinois football program lost two of the state’s top prospects, both tight ends, as Mack Sutter of Dunlap and Mt. Zion's JC Anderson committed elsewhere. Ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in Illinois, respectively, according to Rivals.com, Sutter chose Alabama while Anderson committed to Ole Miss.

Both were heavily recruited by Illinois, and head coach Bret Bielema and his staff did everything by the book. They tracked their multi-sport performances, went to watch those events, built relationships with their families, and welcomed them to campus more than five to seven times each. The Illini left no stone unturned.

Sutter made his decision first. Anderson followed with his announcement on Tuesday. But what stood out this time wasn’t just the losses; it was the strong backlash across social media, message boards, private group chats, and text threads. And in many ways, that’s a sign of progress.

After declining the invitation last summer to stay in Champaign to work out with his Illini teammates, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer returned to the Manning Passing Academy last weekend.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 4, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

As a native Mississippian who began his college career at the University of Mississippi, Luke Altmyer understood one of the unwritten rules of his home state is you don’t tell Archie Manning ‘no thanks’ twice in your lifetime.

Therefore, when the Illinois starting quarterback got the phone call invitation from the College Football Hall of Fame recipient, Altmyer knew his answer in 2025 needed to be drastically different than one year ago.

Altmyer attended the Manning Passing Academy last weekend in Thibodaux, Louisiana, which has become not only one of the largest quarterback training overnight camps in the country but also a rite of passage over several years for highly touted college quarterbacks to serve as camp counselors.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

July 3, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Happy Independence Day. Let's dig into some practice notes before we light up the grill for some holiday eats!

We all expected Brandon Lee to have the physical strength and ability to play early, and he has been better at handling the pressure from guards like Boswell early on than expected.

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman confirmed both Illini and Missouri are looking at several options to bring at least two of what will now be a six-game football series at neutral sites.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 3, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy mutigers.com)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois and Missouri fans will need to wait another year for a resumption of the rivalry border war on the football side.

In his annual roundtable discussion with local media last week inside the Bielfeldt Building, University of Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman confirmed the modification of what was originally an eight-game series between the two power conference programs to what has been revised to a six-game series.

The 2026 game in Champaign, which was slated to be the first game between the two teams since 2010, has been removed from the future series along with the matchup originally slated in 2032 in Champaign.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 2, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

For the next several days, I will break down one current men’s and women’s basketball player each day and discuss what expectations might be for the upcoming season.

Today’s Double Dribble 2-1 Focus features Lety Vasconcelos and Ben Humrichous

Player Profile: Lety Vasconcelos is a 6-foot-7 sophomore center and will be one of the tallest players in the Big Ten Conference this season. A product of Montverde Academy in Florida, she began her career as a top-40 national recruit at Baylor University before transferring to Illinois. After missing last season with a major ACL injury, Vasconcelos now enters a pivotal year where her health and presence in the paint could dramatically change the trajectory of Illinois’ season.

What We Know:

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 2, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

For the next several days, I will break down one current men’s and women’s basketball player each day and discuss what expectations might be for the upcoming season.

Today's Double Dribble 2-1 Focus will be Ben Humrichous and Lety Vasconcelos

Player Biography: Ben Humrichous is a 6-foot-9 graduate student from Tipton, Indiana. Prior to Illinois, he played at Evansville. Known for his outstanding shooting ability, Humrichous arrived in Champaign with a reputation as a high-level scorer. There was speculation that he might not return this season, but ultimately, he decided Illinois was still the best fit.

What we know:

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 1, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – During Will Riley’s AAU Nike Summer sessions, NBA chatter was already beginning to follow him. The talk of being a potential one-and-done prospect was real. At 6-foot-8 and 185 pounds, the combo wing quickly earned a reputation as a natural scorer.

When Illinois associate head coach Orlando Antigua first saw Riley in action on the Nike AAU circuit, he immediately alerted head coach Brad Underwood to prioritize the recruitment. The Illini staff recognized early on that Riley was a difference-maker, and so did programs like Arkansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Michigan, Texas Tech, and Villanova.

A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Riley made an instant impact at Illinois. In his freshman debut, he poured in 31 points against Eastern Illinois, setting a school record for the most points by a freshman in a debut. It also marked the first time a Big Ten freshman had scored at least 30 points in a season opener since Nov. 12, 2007.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular June 30, 2025 Wednesday […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

June 29, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Since the moment Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis stepped foot on the Illinois campus, talk of his NBA future was unavoidable. Scouts, analysts, and coaches alike touted the Lithuanian guard as a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

But when June 25 arrived, the one-time projected lottery pick slid to the No. 20 overall selection.

After the draft concluded, a source with NBA ties shed light on why Jakucionis went from lottery lock to a late first-rounder.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst June 28, […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 26, 2025

Illinois continued to roll along with its recent recruiting haul with the highest rated recruit of the Class of 2026 so far: 4-star tackle Kai Pritchard of Donovan Catholic in Toms River, NJ.  Pritchard is a recruit with good size at 6'5 275 and good athleticism, but what makes him special is his first step.  He has the initial quickness that creates an advantage over the defender on every single play.  Illinois beat dozens of schools to gain Pritchard's commitment, but in the end it came down to Pritchard's home state school of Rutgers versus the stronger program at Illinois.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

June 25, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy ESPN)

Will Riley was seen as a late first or early second round pick heading into the NBA Draft Wednesday night, but Riley was easily in the 1st round, going at #21 to the Washington Wizards. 

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

June 25, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy ESPN)

There are always lottery picks that slide later in the first round, but sometimes you find a great fit in that late first round. For Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis, the fall to #20 led to a tremendous opportunity with the Miami Heat. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer June 25, […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer June 25, […]