Football

Illinois conducted its first spring practice in full pads on Saturday afternoon. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

March 25, 2023

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Good afternoon and welcome to the third of 15 allotted spring football practices for the University of Illinois program as we are months away from the third year of the tenure of Illini head coach Bret Bielema.

It was approximately a 40-minute viewing period of the first day in full pads so here’s a few quick notes:

The Saturday afternoon session (or at least the media viewing portion of the practice was moved from Memorial Stadium to inside the Irwin Indoor Facility due to looming weather conditions in the central Illinois area.

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 23, 2023

March 20 was the first official day of spring, which means it is Bret Bielema time at Memorial Stadium.

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

March 22, 2023

Jack Lesher is a linebacker from Marmion Academy, class of 2024.

Illinois offensive line coach Bart Miller has returning starter Jordyn Slaughter working with a football in individual drills suggesting he might be an option at center in 2023. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

(Cover photo courtesy Matt Stevens/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Good morning and welcome to the first of 15 allotted spring football practices for the University of Illinois program as we are months away from the third year of the tenure of Illini head coach Bret Bielema.

It was simply a 20 to 25-minute viewing period but here’s a few quick notes:

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema announces several roster moves and injuries less than day before the first spring practice inside the Irwin Indoor Facility. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 20, 2023

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Regardless of the fact that he’s changed job titles in the last few months, Aaron Henry was likely to have a similar responsibility heading into Illinois spring practice season. 

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

March 15, 2023

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

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll look at another DB target and break down some of the top 2024 LB targets.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

March 13, 2023

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

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll focus on a few key 2024 and 2025 targets one of whom will be visiting soon.

Witherspoon confirms he’ll return to Champaign for a private NFL scouting workout on April 5.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 10, 2023

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- National Football League pro personnel are likely going to need to schedule one more trip to Champaign County, Illinois.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

March 10, 2023

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

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll focus on the top defensive back targets in the 2024 class with some nice momentum from the NFL Draft projections of Devon Witherspoon, Sydney Brown and Jartavius Martin.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

March 8, 2023

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

I’m this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois I’ll focus on the latest 2024 recruiting info out there.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys National Football Recruiting Expert

March 6, 2023

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

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll look at a bit of recent recruiting news and break down how the Illini did against the Big Ten in 2023 DB recruiting.

Illinois Athletics Department Press Release March 5, 2023 Chase […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 4, 2023

Tarvos Alford woke up recently to some great news

Illinois Athletics Department Press Release March 4, 2023 INDIANAPOLIS […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 3, 2023

The class of 2024 seems far away, but the top tier programs are aware of getting the top players early and finding those that fit your system.