Football

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois will be bringing in a kicker previously committed to a service academy in the Football Bowl Subdivision as a preferred walk-on. 

William McManus, one of the best 2022 placekickers in the Eastern region, announced on social media his verbal commitment to Illinois on Wednesday night. The Hun School kicker is being brought into Bret Bielema’s first full recruiting class at Illinois as a preferred walk-on at Illinois.

Illinois sixth-year linebacker Jake Hansen announces the end of […]

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

Oct. 18, 2021

Class: 2023

Why Illinois interest:  

Defensive lineman, 2023, Will Smith from Dublin, Ohio

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Following losses in five of his first seven games as the head football coach at Illinois, Bret Bielema is beginning to publicly address roster issues with his program. 

The Illini first-year head coach was candid Monday in addressing the physical limitations of specific position groups that have obviously been holding the Illini back in its 2-5 start to this 2021 season. 

“As this roster continues to transition, I’ve got to make tough decisions. The players have to make decisions. The roster is going to have to change to get to where we want to be to win a championship,” Bielema said Monday. “I recognized that probably midway through the spring last year, through the summer.”

Two significant leaders of the Illini football program over the last few years, Mike Epstein and Jake Hansen, may have played their last game at Illinois. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October , 2021

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois football fans may have seen Mike Epstein and Jake Hansen play their final career collegiate game. 

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema clearly indicated in his media conference Monday that the starting quarterback for Illini at Penn State this weekend will likely be Artur Sitkowski.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October , 2021

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Brandon Peters should not be counted on to make the trip for the game at Penn State this weekend because his head coach certainly isn’t doing so. 

Illinois athletics officials confirmed Monday afternoon that the immediately […]

Selah Brown, one of the top uncommitted pass rushing targets in the 2022 recruiting class, has included Illinois in his final three choices. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 17, 2021

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Selah Brown still has Illinois on his mind when it comes to his college recruitment. 

IlliniGuys.com football beat writer/analyst Matt Stevens does not have an Associated Press Top 25 ballot this season but if he did, this is how he'd fill it out.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 17, 2021

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- As we enter the second week of October, the main problem for anybody filling out a Top 25 ballot is what to do with Alabama. 

Bret Bielema and his Illinois coaching staff have used its first open week of the 2021 season to get on the road to evaluate and recruit prospects.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 17, 2021

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Bret Bielema’s staff have used practically every single day of its first open week of the 2021 season to physically see the verbal commitments to Illinois and future Illini targets.

Mike Cagley October 17, 2021 With a bye week […]

2022 Illinois verbal commitment Joey Okla has been valuable in his unwavering loyalty to Bret Bielema’s rebuilding project and an active recruiter to future classes. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 16, 2021

HARTLAND, Wis. -- In a strangely emotional Friday night rivalry win, the past, present and future for Joey Okla all came to the forefront. 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Before the start of the 2018 season, Division I college football coaches were put in the uncomfortable position of either playing freshmen before they were physically, mentally and emotionally ready or having them sit an entire year and hope they didn’t get frustrated enough to transfer. 

Enter the NCAA’s Division I Council’s four-game limit rule. Now, coaching staffs, such as Illinois under first-year head coach Bret Bielema, have four games of leeway to evaluate a first-year player before ending the possibility of counting his season as a redshirt and giving him four more years of eligibility. 

With Illinois already seven games into this 2021 campaign, Bielema’s staff will likely try to find evaluation spots for certain freshmen on the roster that are teetering between the developmental portion and the travel portion of the Illini roster. 

Decisions need to be made on several young players on this 2021 roster before this coaching staff gets a chance to make evaluations.

Even with a four-game window before canceling a possible redshirt season, Illinois first-year head coach Bret Bielema knows he can’t attempt to rush the development of young talent at the risk of stunting their growth and confidence.

“It’s little things with each guy, to be quite honest,” Bielema said. “Sometimes you can tell by their body language they just feel really confident, feel really good and you see them do things repeatedly during practice you’re like, ‘OK, this might become gameday reality.’”

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