Football

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) August 15, 2024 CHAMPAIGN, […]

Illinois Athletics August 15, 2024 On Oct. 18, 1924, […]

Illinois Athletics August 15, 2024 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Exactly 100 […]

The lesson Illinois running back Thad Ward took from the multiple injuries involved in his positional group in 2023 is remembering to keep personal attention to everybody. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 14, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Thad Ward is approaching 19 years as an assistant coach in college football. Bret Bielema is entering his 16th season as a head coach at a power conference program. 

And neither of these men say they can remember a year being a part of a position group so badly ravaged by injuries as what transpired inside the running back room during Illinois’ 2023 season. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 13, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Good afternoon and we can welcome back to the IlliniGuys.com football practice reports. I do believe I’ve missed doing them this month as much as you, the loyal consumer, has missed receiving them.

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert

August 13, 2024

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

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll look at some key upcoming visits and start to see where I rank the 2025 class versus the industry starting at QB.

Illinois sixth-year walk-on linebacker Ryan Meed is one of three players on the Illini roster that have experienced two bowl games while playing for the orange and blue.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 12, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When a sixth-year senior returns to a team, the coaching staff usually anticipates getting the consistency of a stable veteran. 

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

August 12, 2024 

CHAMPAIGN, IL – After being recruited for a couple of years, all the phone calls and visits, several players start to narrow their list of choices.  Some who know what they're looking for others have basically grown tired of the process. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 10, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Good afternoon and we can welcome back Illini football practice reports for the first time in nine days.

For the first time since the evening of Aug. 1, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema authorized a media viewing portion of Saturday’s practice session. The media were allowed to witness nine minutes of individual drill work in practice and six minutes of team stretching so this report will be significant shorter due to the inability to witness a lot of what would be considered noteworthy work by Bielema’s squad. 

Bret Bielema’s injury report continues to get longer as the Illini complete its second week of preseason camp practice sessions. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 10, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The injury list is growing during the first week of August as Illinois continues through preseason practices. 

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert

August 9, 2024

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

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll have a couple of key 2026 updates and look at how the Illini rank at DB in the 2025 class versus the rest of the Big Ten.

The dream of Cole Rusk playing in a game for Illinois will need to wait another year as the transfer tight end suffers a knee injury before the first preseason scrimmage. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 9, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The most impactful element of Cole Rusk’s severely injured knee is likely to be felt by the people in his tight end meeting room that are still healthy for the upcoming 2024 season. 

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Recruiting Director

August 8, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, IL — Illinois football suffered a significant blow with the news that tight end Cole Rusk, a highly anticipated transfer from Murray State, will miss the entire upcoming season due to a knee injury. The former Rock Island standout, who was expected to compete for a starting role, confirmed the unfortunate news on his social media page on Tuesday.

Illinois unveiled the uniforms and helmets that will be […]

Illinois trying to find more positional flexibility in their wide receiver room as they look to replace two departing starters from the 2023 squad.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

August 7, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When Justin Stepp goes to the whiteboard in his wide receiver meeting room, there’s a particular reason he’s drawing two or three circles depending on the particular formation.