Football

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular July 21, 2025 The […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

July 19, 2025

Illinois has had a strong start to its Class of 2026, but after a couple of painful misses on in-state tight ends Mack Sutter and JC Anderson, the program really needed to close the deal on its last big priority for 2026: Jacob Eberhart of Kirkwood (Missouri).  The four-star St. Louis area product is the son of former Illini Jason Eberhart, but with a strong offer list Jacob was far from a lock and in fact had not let the Illini staff know which way he was leaning until the morning of his commitment date.  I'm sure there was a massive sigh of relief in the Smith Football Offices that day as the 6'3, 205-pound athlete chose to follow in his father's footsteps.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular July 14, 2025 The […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 12, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois football continues to build momentum on the recruiting trail, this time heading to the Show-Me State to land its latest commitment. Jacob Eberhart, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety/wide receiver from St. Louis, Mo., announced his commitment to the Fighting Illini.

Illinois wide receivers coach Justin Stepp was instrumental in the commitment. Stepp, who has developed a reputation for connecting with high-level talent at the wide receiver position, helped sway Eberhart from a near pledge to Oklahoma. With Illinois building one of its best classes in recent history, Eberhart now becomes the 23rd commitment in the 2026 class.

Less than a month after Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman’s comments on the matter and less than two weeks into the CSC’s existence, resistance to the regulations has already begun.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 12, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy David Craan/Illinois Athletics)

Despite it resembling many things of the previous NCAA’s enforcement department, Josh Whitman insists the new College Sports Commission will be drastically different.

The athletics director at the University of Illinois, who was elected the chairperson of the NCAA Division I Council in May 2024, stressed last month to local media the CSC’s enforcement wing designed to investigate and punish programs in violation of the new regulations put in place starting July 1 will have more qualified personnel and complete autonomy to “investigate swiftly and punish hard”.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 8, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois football program continues to build a strong recruiting pipeline to Florida, and its latest offer shows that trend. The Illini recently extended a scholarship to Noah Renes, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker from Melbourne, Florida.

To date, Illinois’ 2026 recruiting class already includes five Florida natives:

A first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks was on an unofficial visit in Champaign at the Memorial Stadium Rededication game that the Illini won 21-7 over Michigan.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 8, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Fargo Force)

One of the 32 first round picks in the first round of the 2025 National Hockey League Draft was intently scouted as a 2026 class prospect by the University of Illinois football coaching staff.

Mason West, a 17-year-old athlete from Edina, Minnesota, was in attendance as an unofficial visitor at Champaign’s Memorial Stadium for the 100th season ‘Rededication Game’ that Illinois won 21-7 over Michigan on Oct. 19.

Late last month, West became one of three first round picks by the Chicago Blackhawks with the 29th overall selection when he heard his name called at the draft by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. West, a 6-foot-6 and 218-pound forward, attended the draft as a highly-ranked prospect at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles in order to do the ceremonial shaking Bettman’s hand and putting on a Blackhawks sweater on the stage.

Morton offensive tackle Soren Fifer says he targeted the Illini summer camp dates in order to get the individual instruction that he can bring more dominance to his Class 5A high school program. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 7, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.  — Soren Fifer was convinced he needed to circle June 11th on his calendar if he wanted to improve his offensive lineman skills. 

What the 2027 prospect, who had already received an offer from the University of Illinois football program, didn’t realize was what he’d be taught on the Memorial Stadium field during the Illini’s Big Man Camp would easily translate to his offense at Morton (Ill.) High School.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular July 7, 2025 The […]

With the previously slated home game against Missouri being moved off Illinois’ 2026 non-conference, IlliniGuys.com looks into possible non-power conference opponents to fill that spot.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 6, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Now that Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman has confirmed the 2026 home game against Missouri will not be happening, the obvious issue is Bret Bielema’s football program has an open non-conference slot on that schedule.

In his summer media roundtable on June 27, Whitman said what he was “a mutual decision” between Illinois and Missouri to remove the 2026 game from their schedules was a desire to subtract one power conference opponent from each of their slates. Illinois was slated to host both Missouri and Duke in its 2026 schedule along with scheduling a home game against Southern Illinois. With the Big Ten Conference continuing with its nine-game league schedule, Illinois was slated to play 11 power conference opponents in the 2026 season.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 4, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Mack Sutter)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In a span of less than a week, the Illinois football program lost two of the state’s top prospects, both tight ends, as Mack Sutter of Dunlap and Mt. Zion's JC Anderson committed elsewhere. Ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in Illinois, respectively, according to Rivals.com, Sutter chose Alabama while Anderson committed to Ole Miss.

Both were heavily recruited by Illinois, and head coach Bret Bielema and his staff did everything by the book. They tracked their multi-sport performances, went to watch those events, built relationships with their families, and welcomed them to campus more than five to seven times each. The Illini left no stone unturned.

Sutter made his decision first. Anderson followed with his announcement on Tuesday. But what stood out this time wasn’t just the losses; it was the strong backlash across social media, message boards, private group chats, and text threads. And in many ways, that’s a sign of progress.

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman confirmed both Illini and Missouri are looking at several options to bring at least two of what will now be a six-game football series at neutral sites.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 3, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy mutigers.com)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois and Missouri fans will need to wait another year for a resumption of the rivalry border war on the football side.

In his annual roundtable discussion with local media last week inside the Bielfeldt Building, University of Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman confirmed the modification of what was originally an eight-game series between the two power conference programs to what has been revised to a six-game series.

The 2026 game in Champaign, which was slated to be the first game between the two teams since 2010, has been removed from the future series along with the matchup originally slated in 2032 in Champaign.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular June 30, 2025 Wednesday […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 26, 2025

Illinois continued to roll along with its recent recruiting haul with the highest rated recruit of the Class of 2026 so far: 4-star tackle Kai Pritchard of Donovan Catholic in Toms River, NJ.  Pritchard is a recruit with good size at 6'5 275 and good athleticism, but what makes him special is his first step.  He has the initial quickness that creates an advantage over the defender on every single play.  Illinois beat dozens of schools to gain Pritchard's commitment, but in the end it came down to Pritchard's home state school of Rutgers versus the stronger program at Illinois.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 25, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

Though the Illini hadn't recruited Texas very well at all during the Bielema era, new assistants Archie McDaniel and Justin Stepp have made Texas a priority and their hard work has paid off with the highest rated Texas commit thus far, Fort Bend Marshall (Missouri City) safety Isaiah Williams.  Williams is a little small for a safety at a generously listed 6'1"and 190 pounds, but he plays a lot bigger than you'd think and used his surprising strength to make a lot of big plays for a traditional football power in the suburbs of Houston.  Williams had offers from nearly all the blue blood programs in the nation after a fantastic sophomore year for Marshall's excellent 12-2 season.  However, Williams missed three games last year, Marshall's win total dropped by 5, and Williams' statistical output dropped as well with only 56 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 interception and fumble recovery down from 86,7,4 and 1.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?