Football

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

October 12, 2022

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)

I looked at the remaining top targets for the 2023 class the other day but how about 2024?

Not to say that any of these kids are Illinois locks, because at this stage it’s unlikely any are, but these are some kids it appears the Illini are recruiting the hardest early on in the process.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

Oct. 11, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy the Hoitink family)

It was just a matter of time before recruits took notice of what is going on at Illinois. Last Saturday's game originally had 40 recruits who were supposed to visit. According to Bret Bielema, 200 came to watch Illinois take on its rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Charlie Hoitink has a lot of upside. He's a 6-foot-4, 280-pound sophomore offensive tackle from Slinger, Wisconsin who grew up rooting for the Badgers, but Illinois has changed the thinking in the Hoitink household.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

October 11, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

I hope all of you enjoyed that great win over Iowa on Saturday night as much as I did.  The Orange and Blue across the board with clever coaching, hard playing and dealing with some adversity.   I have to believe that tremendous efforts of the DIA to get the fans out for a Saturday Night game had a big part in the win as well.  I'd sure like it if the Illini could clean up the turnover issues, but I'm going to stay in my lane on that one and stick with what I know: line play.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema deflected a question specifically asking if Art Sitkowski would start the game vs. Minnesota on Saturday. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer/Analyst

October 10, 2022

(Photos courtesy Ron Johnson/USA Today Sports)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois head coach says he isn’t counting on the availability this weekend of any of the six players who were inactive on Saturday in the win over Iowa. 

And that certainly includes the quarterback position. 

Less than 48 hours after the 9-6 victory over Iowa in which the starting quarterback (Tommy DeVito), starting wide receiver (Isaiah Williams) and starting cornerback (Tahveon Nicholson) all left the game with injuries along with a high contributing linebacker (Isaac Darkangelo) and the inability in pregame for the starting place kicker (Caleb Griffin) and second-team tailback (Josh McCray) to play, Bret Bielema said Monday that he isn’t expecting but remains a little hopeful to see any of those injured players this Saturday versus Minnesota (11 a.m., BTN). 

Illini Head Football Coach Bret Bielema gives his weekly […]

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

October 10, 2022

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)

It wasn’t pretty but it was another huge win for Illinois as they are now ranked in the AP Top 25, have the best defense in the country at 5-1.

By Zain Bando - IlliniGuys Student Correspondent

October 9th, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Steve Snider/IlliniGuys)

For the first time since 2008, the Illini (5-1, 2-1 B1G) knocked off the Iowa Hawkeyes (3-3, 1-2 B1G) to increase its home winning streak to five wins in the last six games dating back to 2021. In addition, the Orange and Blue are one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019.

A 9-6 defensive slugfest was the story of a Saturday night to remember in Champaign-Urbana. 44,910 fans — most of them Illini — packed Memorial Stadium to see the critical Big Ten West showdown.

Head coach Bret Bielema, who came to Illinois with a vision of what the program could become, now finds himself in unfamiliar territory given the team’s recent struggles over the years.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer October 9, 2022 CHAMPAIGN, […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

October 9, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Ron Johnson/USA Today Sports)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois coaching staff can really be grateful that the service academy lifestyle wasn’t as appealing to Fabrizio Pinton as he once thought it would be. 

The former prep school graduate from Texas, who earned acceptance to the Air Force Academy but lasted only one semester before entering the transfer portal, scored all nine of the Illini’s points on Saturday night in the 9-6 win over Iowa on a trio of field goals (27, 37, 36) after learning right before kickoff he’d be the starting placekicker. 

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy Sports Spectacular Host October 9, 2022 […]

By IlliniGuys Staff October 8, 2022 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

October 8, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Michael Biesboer's Twitter page)

We said here at IlliniGuys that more potential football recruits would be added. Michael Biesboer is next in line to visit Memorial Stadium. 

Biesboer is an offensive lineman for Marian Catholic School in Chicago.  He's a 2024 prep and stands 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds. His size, techniques and versatility make him a valuable recruit because he is able to play multiple positions. 

We caught up with Biesboer before he arrived in Champaign. 

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

October 7, 2022

Michael Garner is a 6-foot-7, 235-pound defensive line from Bloom Township HS

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

October 8, 2022

To say this is the biggest game in Bret Bielema's tenure would be an understatement.

October 8, 2022 The Illini destroyed the Badgers in […]