Football

Zachary Aamland used Memorial Day to become the first out-of-state commitment and second offensive line pledge to the Illini’s 2023 recruiting class. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

May 30, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Zachary Aamland's Twitter page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The tradition of Illinois continuing the foundation building of its offensive line has continued with its first out-of-state commitment for the 2023 recruiting class. 

Zachary Aamland, a 6-foot-6 and 285-pound offensive lineman from The Hun School in New Jersey, used the Memorial Day holiday to announce his verbal pledge to Illinois after receiving other scholarship offers from several Power Five Conference schools such as Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and Vanderbilt.

In a complete rebuilding job of the Illini offensive line by head coach Bret Bielema and offensive line coach Bart Miller, Illinois signed five high school offensive linemen in this incoming 2022 recruiting class along with two junior college transfers. 

Illinois’ 8-1 loss to Indiana in the elimination game of the 2022 Big Ten Baseball Tournament on Friday night ended their season with a 31-22 record. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 27, 2022

The baseball season for Illinois is over. 

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 25, 2022

The Fighting Illini are going up against the big boys in the Big Ten looking for players; not since the Ron Zook era has recruiting been this fluid.

After a 7-5 loss to Michigan in the Big […]

While Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb is trying to allow for a slim chance of an NCAA at-large berth, Illini will need its first conference tournament title in 11 years to extend the 2022 season. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 26, 2022

Only Mother Nature seems to know when the 2022 Big Ten Baseball Tournament will begin but Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb seemingly knows how this event has to end for his program. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 26, 2022

Naperville North’s David Olano, arguably among one of the best placekickers, says he wants to stay home with his college choice and is eager to get an offer from Illini staff.

David Olano says he understands, accepts and is trying to be patient with the being one of the nation’s best in his recruiting class but without offers from any Power Five Conference schools. 

Steve Sturm, IlliniGuys Football Analyst

May 23, 2022

Coach Bret Bielema's staff has left no stone unturned when it comes to adding talent to the program and while you may have heard some strange stories thus far on this site, Morris' story makes for a whole other chapter.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   IlliniGuys.com Teams Up with Illini […]

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 23, 2022

Mason Muragin made the visit to Champaign, Illinois, a visit which has been different from other schools recruiting Muragin.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

May 23, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Dante Barone's Twitter page)

Illinois has been very successful when it comes to landing high-profile linemen as of late. The Illinois staff and track record of player development and NFL products is an easy sell and they're hoping that continues this summer.

The Illini are in a battle for the services of Dante Barone, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive lineman from Princeton, New Jersey.

Barone already has a great relationship with Illinois linebackers coach Andy Buh and defensive line coach Terrance Jamison.

"I'm grateful for all my offers. When Illinois did, I wouldn’t say I was surprised, I expected it. I had been talking to coach Buh and Jamison for a little while; they let me know I was very high on their radar so I was definitely hopeful," Barone said.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

May 22, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy TJ McMillen's Hudl page)

The Illinois football program is light years ahead of the recruiting game compared to recent years. The Illini are no longer the team waiting until the spring to get commitment from players.

TJ McMillen is a 6-foot-3, 270-pound strong-side DE from Wheaton, Illinois, who verbally committed to Illinois on Friday, but made it official Saturday on his Twitter account. 

We caught up with McMillen to find out what made Illinois so special to him considering all the offers he was able to choose from; for example, Arizona State, Boston College, Duke, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, and Texas Tech.

Here is our Q and A session with the three-star in-state commit Saturday afternoon:

Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year Steffany Dickerson tosses an 82-pitch complete game shutout to eliminate Illinois softball from the NCAA Columbia Regional. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 21, 2022

The 2022 season is over for the Illinois softball program. 

The commitment of three-star offensive lineman TJ McMillen continues the trend of in-state prospects pledging to the Illini’s 2023 class. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

May 21, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The commitment of TJ McMillen continues the rebuild of in-state relations and the rebuild of the offensive line room at Illinois. 

McMillen, who is a 6-foot-3 and 270-pound interior offensive lineman and defensive tackle at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, announced his verbal pledge to the Illini’s 2023 class on Saturday afternoon. McMillen now joins four-star tailback Kaden Feagin from Arthur and three-star Antwon Hayden from East St. Louis as the three commitments to the Illini’s 2023 class.

“From a young age, I’ve always dreamed of playing college football - it’s in our blood,” McMillen wrote in his commitment announcement on social media on Saturday. “So many people have helped me reach this goal.” 

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Jonah Morris’ college football journey through seven seasons and four schools will conclude at Illinois for the upcoming 2022 season. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

May 20, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois added a 24-year-old wide receiver from the transfer portal ready to prove that his seventh season and fourth school will be his best situation. 

Jonah Morris announced his verbal pledge to the Illini program on Friday afternoon after announcing his intention to enter the transfer portal for his final season of college football. His arrival at Illinois for fall camp in August will complete a journey for the Akron, Ohio native that has seen him go from Indiana, Akron, Northern Colorado and now Illinois. 

Morris, who was primarily recruited by Illinois wide receivers coach George McDonald and Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, took an official visit to the Champaign campus last weekend and told IlliniGuys.com earlier this week that while he’d been contacted by several FBS schools, Illinois was the top option on his list. 

“I’ve talked a lot with Coach Geo, Coach B and the new offensive coordinator Coach (Barry) Lunney and I just think this offense is going to work out perfectly,” Morris said. “I can make plays when the ball is in the air. I’m not a primadonna wide receiver who doesn’t like to block for the solid running game Illinois is going to have and after talking with Coach Lunney, I believe Illinois is going to be set up to throw the football more than people think.”