Football

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman confirms the Brendan Sorsby drama has not created an internal mandate to prohibit scheduling Texas Tech in any or all sports.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 26, 2026

CHAMPAIGN — The University of Illinois baseball stadium is getting its first facelift in over six years.

Following a $5 million gift from an anonymous donor, a 1,500-seat renovation plan that will include new and additional seating down the first and third baselines, permanent seatbacks, and new and expanded dugouts will be completed in the spring of 2027.

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman announced the project during his annual roundtable discussion with local media inside the Bielfeldt Athletics Administration on Thursday.

"We have tremendous gratitude for the donor who has supported the renovation of Illinois Field,”

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman remains loyal to the current College Sports Commission regulations but expresses less confidence in his fellow ADs feeling similarly.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 25, 2026

CHAMPAIGN — While Josh Whitman’s confidence in the College Sports Commission remains high, the same can not be said for his feelings toward some of his athletics director colleagues.

In his annual roundtable this morning with local media inside the Bielfeldt Athletics Administration on Thursday, the athletics director at the University of Illinois shared his continued dismay over a significant number of universities in power conferences finding ways to circumvent, ignore and display an overall distrust for collegiate regulations that the one-year-old CSC operation was designed to uphold.

“Ultimately I think any challenges that are existing stem more from [athletics administrators] and not [the CSC]. It’s like the whole breakup line where it’s not you, it’s us,” Whitman said Thursday afternoon. “I’ve said for years the question is - do we want to be governed? And to date, I think the answer is at best, mixed.”

Whether it is the evaluating of what the CSC’s calls “fair-market value of name, image and likeness deals, the enforcement of a cap around $21 million on what schools are allowed to directly pay athletes as a result of the House vs. NCAA settlement, or agreeing to cooperate with investigations and comply with rulings, Whitman doesn’t believe the blame of inefficiencies is in the CSC system created by a collection of the Division I conferences. The Illinois athletics director points the blame directly at some of his friends in the business who have used rulings through state and federal courts to circumvent eligibility standards or previously established rules either by the NCAA or the conferences themselves.

One of the major items Illinois athletics director Josh […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 24, 2026

Lamarque (Texas) linebacker Anthony James became Illinois' second linebacker in the Class of 2027 when he committed to the Illini earlier this month. James is a 6'3", 205-pound middle linebacker from the Houston suburbs who has a whole lot in common with the other linebacker commit in his class: Sean Rice. Both are tall linebackers who were incredibly productive in their junior years and can play any position. For his part, James had 134 tackles, 24 for loss, 3 sacks, 1 FF, 4 QB hurries and 1 pass broken up. That's over 10 tackles per game for James, which is impressive for a 10-3 team that had plenty of blowouts. What's more impressive is that Lamarque is not usually a competitive football school, with only one other winning season in the last decade.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

My first thought when I went through James' highlights was: "how is he never blocked"? James seems to flow to the ball on every play while slipping by the blockers as soon as they're occupied.

Tyrone Howard Jr. moved up his official visit weekend to Champaign-Urbana and didn’t wait long after that trip to verbally commit to Bret Bielema’s Illini program. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

Tyrone Howard Jr. couldn’t wait to take his official campus visit to Illinois and didn’t wait too much longer after that trip to give his verbal pledge to Bret Bielema’s program. 

The three-star defensive back prospect became the 14th verbal commitment of the Illini’s 2027 recruiting class with his Tuesday afternoon announcement. 

Three-star receiver Brody Knowles from historic Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas gave his verbal pledge to Illinois on late Monday morning.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 22, 2026

Illinois acquired the verbal commitment from a big-bodied Texan wide receiver who was near the top of the 2027 recruiting wish list of Illini assistant coach Justin Stepp.

Three-star receiver Brody Knowles from historic Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas gave his verbal pledge to Illinois on late Monday morning making the 6-foot-5 and 188-pound target the 13th commitment in the 2027 recruiting class. 

Knowles, who also took official visits to Texas Christian and Arkansas after touring the Champaign-Urbana campus in late April during an Illini spring practice, has been one of the top targets

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

June 22, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois continued its recruiting momentum on back-to-back days, adding another key piece to its 2027 football class when Texas wide receiver Brody Knowles announced his commitment to Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini.

Just one day after landing five-star kicker Ulysses Morales, Bielema and wide receivers coach Justin Stepp headed south and secured a commitment from one of the most sought-after receivers in the country.

Knowles, a three-star prospect from Southlake, Texas, chose Illinois over an impressive list of more than 20 Division I offers.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 21, 2026

Illini fans are surely still smarting from the loss of 4* QB Kamden Lopati, but the good news about the timing of his decommitment was that the Illini still had time to grab another good quarterback. That QB is Sladen Shack.

Shack is a 6'1, 210 pound pro-style player from Brandon, Mississippi who led his team to the 7A title game last year in a football-rich state. He put up 2,586 passing yards and 24 touchdowns against 6 interceptions and a 64.5 completion percentage, and though he didn't have that many rushing yards, he's also athletic enough to run when the opportunity arises.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Shack throws a really pretty ball. I wouldn't say he has a cannon, but at the same time there's no question that his ball gets to the target on time and with good velocity.

Ulysses Morales, a 6-foot and 170-pound kicker with a youth soccer background but currently rated as one of the best field goal kickers in Illinois, has committed to the Illini. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 21,2026

Illinois used a Father’s Day verbal pledge to secure the future of its placekicker spot with a strong-legged prospect from the Chicagoland area. 

Ulysses Morales, a 6-foot and 170-pound kicker with more of a soccer background as a youth athlete but garnered very quick football recruiting momentum by showcasing a strong football kicking leg at both Oak Forest (Ill.) High School and the summer kicking camp scene, became the 12th verbal commitment to the Illini’s 2027 recruiting class on Sunday afternoon. 

Morales was completing his official visit to the Champaign-Urbana campus and gave his commitment to Illinois head coach Bret Bielema before leaving the Smith Center on Sunday morning.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 20, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

The third person in the Iowa State trio to commit last weekend was edge rusher Ryan Paulsen. Paulsen wasn't an Iowa State commit, but he was a heavy lean before he visited Champaign. Paulsen is a long player who is a good competitor but is an odd positional fit. He listed himself as an offensive tackle recruit heading into this year, and some evaluators have listed him as a defensive end rather than an edge. For the Illini though, he would be an outside linebacker.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

All of my readers know that I am obsessive about comparing players heights and weights to the other players on the field. Recruits often lie about their heights and weights, and though a guy being taller/ heavier might not mean he's a better player, it does matter when you're talking about projecting him to the next level. Well, I had to double check that

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

June 20, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois has won its share of recruiting battles under coach Bret Bielema, but one topic has continued to follow the program: keeping the state's top talent at home.

The Illini may have taken a significant step toward changing that narrative with the commitment of four-star wide receiver Bennett Konkey, one of Illinois' premier prospects in the Class of 2027.

Illinois fans and local media agree on one thing: Konkey is a major recruiting win for the program. The Geneva standout chose the Illini over a strong list of suitors that included Indiana, the national champions, Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern, giving Bielema and his staff a victory in one of the Midwest's most competitive recruiting battles.

How a 22-second highlight video of quarterback drills inside the barn of his family’s 4,500-acre farm defines the world of teenage quarterback Teddy Kress.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 18, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Matt Stevens/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN — What has become commonplace with high school athletes is the use of social media to spotlight a specific moment in time during a practice, a camp, or even private instruction when very few people are around.

Peoria Notre Dame High School quarterback Teddy Kress decided to inject a little of his family’s daily life in his football highlight reel.

These short videos on X or TikTok are typically done with spacious green grass in the background or an empty high school or small college stadium, showing the player’s willingness to do the work when nobody is watching. It’s high school football recruiting world’s version of being a social media influencer. On one March night, Kress decided to be a little different. The teenage quarterback attempted to show the world how he could make any environment the scene of his next throwing session - including one of the barns located inside his family’s farm.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 17, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Shaw Local)

The second of Illinois' weekend Iowa State thievery trio flipped his commitment from Iowa State to Illinois on June 7. Gavin Ericson-Staton from Lombard Montini, an offensive lineman who played every position but primarily settled in at right tackle for the state champions, committed to the Illini the day after he returned home from his weekend visit to the Illini. Ericson-Staton had committed to the Cyclones on his visit the week before, yet still took a visit to Illinois the next weekend to check out the Orange and Blue and flipped his commitment when the ink was still wet (so to speak). In Ericson-Staton, the Illini got a lineman whose movement skills are excellent and who already shows a high skill level in several ways.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

As I mentioned above, Ericson-Staton is an athlete. He changes direction and pulls and traps at an elite level. His hands and feet are excellent as well and serve him very well as a pass blocker.

New Illinois running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley wins the recruiting battle for Alexis, a 6-foot and 200-pound tailback from Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Fla.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 16, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Max Preps)

In a stealth move for its 2027 signing class, Illinois new running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley made his first recruiting move in the form of a commitment flip for the tailback prospect he wanted the most. 

Three-star 200-pound tailback Steven Alexis, from Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Fla., announced his intention to change his verbal pledge from Colorado to Illinois after Wheatley and the Illini player personnel staff were able to get Alexis to Champaign-Urbana for a campus visit this past weekend. 

Alexis, who finished his junior season with a less-talented Class 3A Florida high school program in 2025 with 1,113 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns with nine yards per attempt, made a verbal commitment days after returning from his official visit to Colorado in the first weekend of this month. However,

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

June 16, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Prep Redzone)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois continues to build momentum on the recruiting trail, and the Fighting Illini added another key piece with the commitment of Bennett Konkey, one of the state’s top prospects.

Konkey, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound wide receiver from Geneva, is listed as a four-star recruit by 247Sports. His commitment gives Illinois coach Bret Bielema and wide receivers coach Justin Stepp another major recruiting win, especially considering the programs the Illini beat out to land him.