Football

IlliniGuys.com guides you through some of the critical items worth paying attention to in the Illinois spring football game on Thursday night. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 20, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN -- The spring game is usually nothing more than a television event led by marketing expert/Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema and one should not need further proof of this statement than last season’s version. 
The Big Ten Network sideline reporter tossed a completed pass for a two-point conversion. The two highlighted receivers were Carlos Sandy and Khmari Thompson, both of whom managed to catch a total of four passes in the following 2021 season. The quarterback who shined injured himself on the first drive of the 2021 opener vs. Nebraska. Caleb Griffin went 3-for-3 in a field goal shootout and didn’t record a single field goal attempt in the following season.
So, yes, there are elements of the Orange-Blue spring game at Illinois that should be taken in context as simply just a celebration of anticipation and hope for the upcoming fall season. However, while you’re playing to attend the free event on Thursday evening at Memorial Stadium or watch on BTN, we at IlliniGuys.com wanted to come up with four elements that might be worth your valuable time. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 19, 2o22

EDITORS NOTE: There was no media viewing of today’s practice so there’s nothing I can provide from an observational standpoint before we enter the Orange-Blue spring game on Tuesday. I just thought I’d use this space to set you up for why this spring game will likely look different than the one in 2021.

CHAMPAIGN -- Compared to when they left Memorial Stadium last spring, the one universal feeling of the entire Illinois football coaching staff this April is one of more comfort.

With just over 48 hours until the second version of the Orange-Blue spring game at Memorial Stadium, the Illini staff seems better suited to know what they have from an execution, depth and weaknesses standpoint in 2022.

“The amount of mental errors you get in this spring as compared to last year is way down,” Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said Tuesday morning. “I think everybody has a higher functioning level in terms of situational football. So, I think now you’re seeing guys not solely focusing on their assignment but now also reacting to what the offense is doing. This all what comes with year two of a scheme.”

The last spring game was the last time Illini fans got to see Isaiah Williams at quarterback as a less-than-stellar performance behind center led to a move to wide receiver. Calvin Hart Jr. was buried on the second-team defense with Tarique Barnes in the spring game after a early penalty in the contest but by the season opener against Nebraska, Hart was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week before a season-ending knee injury. In this 2022 version of the spring game, Hart and Barnes, who have been paired as roommates since Hart arrived from North Carolina State, will lead the calls of Walters’ defense.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

Apil 18, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Vanderbilt Athletics)

The Fighting Illini added some size and experience to the defense line when Vanderbilt defensive tackle Rashaan Wilkins, Jr. decided to come to Champaign.  Wilkins was a two-year starter at Vanderbilt and figured to remain the starter at the SEC school but decided to enter the transfer portal when Vanderbilt made a coaching change.

Wilkins has taken a very unlikely route from Chicago to Champaign.  He started high school at Mt. Carmel in Chicago as a 6'2, 180 pound wide receiver.  He grew to 6'3, 240 pounds and excelled at both outside linebacker and tight end, but only showed enough to earn Division III offers coming out of high school.  Wilkins took the offer from nearby Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  Wilkins played two games at tight end and caught two passes, but injured his ankle and decided to save that year of eligibility and transfer to Monterey Peninsula Junior College in California.  Wilkins excelled at Monterey and ate his way to a sturdy 300 pounds. That brought the attention of several Division I programs and Wilkins selected Vanderbilt.  Wilkins earned steady playing time in his two years at Vanderbilt but decided to finish his career closer to home in Champaign, and Illinois is quite fortunate that he did.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 16, 2022

CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois conducted its first team drill spring work in front of a small number of season ticket holders and media Saturday.

Former Western Illinois wide receiver Dallas Daniels hoping to get scholarship offer from Illinois after entering transfer portal last month. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 15, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Western Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN -- Dallas Daniels is hoping this official visit to Illinois results in his first offer from a Power Five Conference school. 

Daniels confirmed to IlliniGuys.com that he would be on the Illinois campus for the Thursday morning spring practice and is hoping to receive a scholarship offer from the Illini coaching staff. Daniels, a 6-foot-1 and 170-pound target originally from Dayton, Ohio, had 892 receiving yards and four touchdowns over his last two years at Western Illinois. Daniels was named a selection to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer team following the 2020 season after he transferred from Arizona Western College through Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. 

Bryce Barnes, who has been mixed and matched by this Illinois coaching from outside linebacker to defensive end, has found comfort as a 275-pound end when his hand in the ground. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 14, 2021

CHAMPAIGN -- Here are some quick notes of what IlliniGuys.com heard from Thursday morning:

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 14, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Jake Cook Hudl page)

Jake Cook, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive line from Westerville, Ohio, recently took a visit to the University of Illinois. We caught up with Cook for a brief Q and A session on his visit plus the next move for Jake regarding the Illini.

Kedric: Could you explain your thoughts on the visit, and did it meet your expectations?

Jake: It was fantastic! Great coaches, atmosphere and facilities! I'm definitely coming back for camp, I can't wait to be a part of that. I had a great time.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 12, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Matt Stevens/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN -- Despite being moved inside last season, photographic evidence has suggested Alex Palczewski has been seeing playing time this spring. These photos provided by the Illinois athletics department suggest the sixth-year veteran is getting looked at again for the right tackle spot at least to avoid an issue if injuries arose in the upcoming 2022 season. It also suggests another obvious idea that was confirmed by the comments following the team’s 10th spring practice of the season.

“Palcho is having a phenomenal spring. He’s probably one of the guys on this roster who is as game-ready as you can be now,” Illinois offensive line coach Bart Miller said Tuesday. “He’s able to move better than he has in a long time and since I’ve seen him. Look, he’s healthy for the first time in a long time. You can see it on the backside cutoff (blocks). You watch the scrimmage and he’s able to get to landmarks now that he was never able to get to last year because of health.”

After trying to quickly recover from a serious knee injury that required reconstructive surgery during the 2020 season, Palczewski started the first seven games of Bret Bielema’s first season as the Illini head coach last season at tackle. It was clear in those seven games that Miller wasn’t thrilled with Palczewski’s lack of explosion coming off this injury and some of what he called “bad habits” he’d learned during his previous years at Illinois that didn’t translate to the fundamentals of what Bielema’s staff wanted to implement.

“Someone has told me that I’m officially the old man now around here,” Palczewski said on March 22. “I already love playing for (Barry Lunney Jr.) because he’s a player’s coach. He looks us in the eyes and tells us what we’re going to do.”

Vanderbilt defensive tackle Raashaan Wilkins Jr., who has one year of eligibility left, announces he’ll be “going home” by transferring to Illinois. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 12, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy George Walker IV/Nashville Tennessean)

CHAMPAIGN -- After a long and nationwide journey in his college experience, Raashaan Wilkins Jr.says he’s “going home” with an intention to transfer to Illinois. 

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound multi-year starter at Vanderbilt, who entered the transfer portal in February, confirmed via his Instagram page that he's committed to playing his final season of eligibility at Illinois.

In the last two seasons at Vanderbilt, Wilkins has started 19 of 21 games at defensive tackle and recorded 21 tackles, two tackles for loss. He signed with Vanderbilt out of Monterey Peninsula College in California when Illinois cornerbacks coach Aaron Henry was on the Commodores staff in 2020. When Wilkins arrives for fall camp at Illinois, he’ll be expected to compete for instant playing time at the nose tackle position along with Northwestern transfer TeRah Edwards, senior-to-be Calvin Avery and junior-to-be Verdis Brown. 

Zain Bando, IlliniGuys Student Correspondent

April 12, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Bret Bielema met with reporters Saturday afternoon in the foyer of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility to discuss a variety of topics, which included Josh McCray’s growth and development, recruiting, a young offensive line, and Ryan Johnson.

In a lot of ways, Illinois tailback Josh McCray outperformed his own expectations for his freshman season and now, he wants a lot more in 2022. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 10, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Harry Figiel/Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN -- In the time period between early August and early September, Josh McCray had doubt - a lot of it. 

As a true freshman tailback prospect and one of the first players signed by then-new Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, McCray still had what he describes as a “voice of doubt” that was telling him all that was unknown about his situation with the Illini. For the first time in his life, McCray was hundreds of miles away from his hometown of Enterprise, Ala. He was behind several experienced players on a depth chart of a Power Five Conference program. Illinois was the only power program who believed he could handle being a tailback at this level of football. 

“I would agree it’s underrated how you question everything about yourself as a first-year guy at this level. I did that,” McCray said. “I mean, I didn’t see myself being the tailback here as a freshman. I think I told people that. I was trying to get on special teams and just keep getting good practice grades when I got chances.”

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Contributor

April 9, 2022

(Cover file photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

What happened last year?

It's hard to believe looking back on things, but when Bret Bielema took over as coach of the Illinois football program the likely options for quarterback in 2021 were Isaiah Williams, Deuce Spann, Coran Taylor and Matt Robinson.  With Robinson's decision to leave the program, none of those players are still in the quarterback meeting room.  Coach Bielema transformed many things about the Illini football program after he took over, but no unit has changed more than quarterback.

When Brandon Peters agreed to return for 2021 and then Artur Sitkowski transferred in from Rutgers, it signaled that the Illini under Tony Petersen were going to focus on pocket passing rather than the athleticism that prior coordinator Rod Smith favored.  Then, Ryan Johnson joined the Illini program from Northern Michigan over the summer and the Illinois had effectively found a 1, 2 and 3 on the quarterback depth chart who all transferred in from other programs.   While this was happening, the Illini had Williams, Spann and Taylor at quarterback for spring practice, but soon thereafter they all saw the writing on the wall and switched to wide receiver, wide receiver, and safety, respectively.  The result was a fairly effective "two headed" quarterback rotation that resulted due to serious injuries to both Peters and Sitkowski. 

Texas Tech graduate transfer defensive end Devin Drew is on the Illinois campus this weekend for an official visit.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

April 9, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Michael C. Johnson/USA Today Sports)

CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois is hosting a Power Five Conference defensive lineman from the transfer portal this weekend. 

Multiple sources close to the Illinois football program have confirmed to IlliniGuys.com that Texas Tech defensive end Devin Drew is on campus this weekend for an official visit. Without naming the prospect, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema confirmed the Illini program is hosting an official visit this weekend and IlliniGuys.com is able to confirm Drew was on the sidelines as Illinois conducted its second scrimmage of the spring season on Saturday afternoon.

Drew, 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, is a graduate transfer who had 34 total tackles (21 solo) and seven quarterback hurries last season for the Red Raiders.

CHAMPAIGN -- Asking Illinois head coach Bret Bielema about his program's offensive line depth can't come without him mentioning his biggest issue with the local media since he accepted the job in Champaign.
In the third week of October (Oct. 18th to be exact) leading into the game at Penn State, Bielema made this comment about his offensive line depth and the future of that position in the middle of his first season as the leader of the Illini program.
“I don't believe we have a player in the two-deep that they've recruited here over the last three years that is really significantly doing anything for us in the playing department,” Bielema said on Oct. 18. “That's a major concern.”
To this day in April 2022, Bielema still believes, and likely always will feel, that comment was taken out of context and the overall point he was trying to make was after this 2021 season, the experience and talent of that position group is likely to dip after the eligibility of Doug Kramer, Vedarian Lowe, Jack Badovinac and (at that time believing) Alex Palczewski would be running out. This comment by Bielema in mid-October led to him announcing a 2022 signing class less than a month later that included high school signees and two junior college transfers to that position group.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 9, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Shaw Local)

Jaydon Wright, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound running back from Kankakee finally took his visit to his home state university after seeing other places in the country.

Wright did a podcast with me (Ked's Recruiting Roundup). He sat there with his brand new orange t-shirt that read FAM1LLY on it grinning from ear to ear. I asked Jaydon why he was so happy.

Jaydon said, "It was awesome today, I could not believe all the great things I saw there today. It was everything I wanted it to be and more."