Football

Illinois Athletics Release November 28, 2023 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois […]

By Larry Smith/Co-Host & Executive Producer, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacuar

November 28, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Gather 'round, young children, and let me tell you a story.

There was once a college football team called the Fighting Illini of Illinois.  A century ago, this was a proud program that was celebrating its third national championship. The Illini were led by a young sophomore named Red Grange, who would go on to become one of the biggest celebrity athletes of the era.  1923 was when they completed a perfect 8-0 season and when they played their first game in brand-new Memorial Stadium, the stately edifice that would be officially dedicated a year later.  College football was emerging - still far superior and much more popular than the fledging National Football League - with Grange as its poster child on a backdrop of Orange and Blue, colors that U of I grad George Halas adopted for his new pro team, the Chicago Bears.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

November 28, 2023

Illinois is in the mix for Dawayne Galloway Jr., one of the nation's top cornerbacks who was in the house at Memorial Stadium on an official visit this weekend. 

The 6-foot-1 junior from Marion-Franklin in Columbus, Ohio, says he has well over two dozen DI offers.

By Steve Sturm/IlliniGuys Football Analyst

November 27, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

So you remember how Iowa took away Illinois' passes in the middle of the field at the end of the game last week?  Well, this is how you adjust.  I've rarely seen this, but its a tackle to tackle cut block. 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting November […]

Ked's Recruiting Roundup

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

November. 27, 2023

Illinois lands junior college star Daniel Brown, an edge rusher who will fill a need right away for the 2024 Fighting Illini.

IllinGuys caught up with Brown who said, "I'm excited to be a part of the Illinois family; they have what I'm looking for and what they teach defensively."

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

November 27, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini fell to Northwestern on Saturday to finish out what was a truly disappointing 5-7 season for them. Bret Bielema said famously that he didn't come here to go 5-7, and yet two of his 3 seasons have been just that. The season was more disappointing when you look at the teams they faced. The Illini went 0-4 against first year Big Ten coaches and after a 7-1 start a year ago have wins over Northwestern, Toledo, Florida Atlantic, Minnesota, Maryland and Indiana….

Indiana fired Tom Allen, Northwestern let Pat Fitzgerald go, PJ Fleck is on the hot seat at Minnesota and FAU had a 1st year head coach. How many schools had a schedule with 5 first year coaches on it and still couldn’t make a bowl game?....

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

November 26, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy MaxPreps)

This weekend Illinois is hosting a number of recruits on campus for football. It is the last home game of the season, which means this will be the last time to show potential recruits what the game day experience is like. 

One target who is extremely interested in Illinois is Emoni Smith, a 6-foot-1, 160-pound athlete from Galloway (Westland), Ohio. He is listed as an athlete, but he is being recruited by Illinois as a safety. 

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema just produced by his own previous assessment an unacceptable result in a year where upward progress was needed and required. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 25, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — Bret Bielema famously has repeated that he didn’t come to Champaign to go 5-7. Well, congratulations to everybody involved because we’ve all officially reached the rubicon here on the corner of 1st Street and Kirby Avenue. 

Year Three of the Bielema Era will always be recognized as the season that ended with five wins and seven losses. Certainly nothing more and undoubtedly something less than what was expected. 

It is a habit of a journalist to record the head football coach at his word when he says things into a microphone knowing he’s being recorded for future use - like when he speaks on pay-for-play philosophy and player injuries. Or when he, like Bielema did Saturday night, refer to on-field referee decisions as the vulgar term for cow feces. 

By IlliniGuys Staff November 25, 2023 (Cover photo courtesy […]

IlliniGuys Staff

November 25, 2023

Coming into the training camp, Illinois was expected by many to win 7+ games and continue the upward trajectory that started in 2022.

November 25, 2023 The Illini are trying to rebound […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

November 24, 2023

The Illinois football program is starting to build its depth with quality scholarship players, but now their preferred walk-on room is starting to grow as well.

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

November 24, 2023

Transfer portal season is about to heat up!

Illinois safety Clayton Bush wants you to believe Iowa’s game-winning 30-yard touchdown run is his responsibility to fill up but Illini defensive coordinator Aaron Henry knows that’s not entirely true.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 23, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The word that comes to mind with all the coaches inside the Smith Family Football Complex when discussing Clayton Bush is accountability. 

The graduate transfer safety from Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois said in August before the beginning of the 2023 season that he was looking for a “a coaching staff with no bullcrap to tell me the truth and hold me accountable for how things are done” and the 23-year-old certainly did that when he met with local media following the 15-13 loss to No. 16 Iowa on Saturday. 

“It’s my fault. I missed my gap,” Bush said following a game where he had eight tackles and according to Pro Football Focus data three ‘stops’ which are described as the player for why the play was a failure for the offense. “Iowa is a program that does things the correct way so often that they feast on when you mess up. Well, I messed up and it cost us.”