Football

Carlos Orr - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star WR - I on the Illini YouTube

Carlos Orr - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star WR - I on the Illini YouTube

Mike, Ked & Matt talk Carlos Orr 3-star WR & […]

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Zafir Stewart - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star OT - I on the Illini You Tube

Zafir Stewart - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star OT - I on the Illini You Tube

Mike, Ked & Matt talk Zafir Stewart 3-star OL & […]

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Vernon Woodward - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DB - I on the Illini YouTube

Vernon Woodward - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DB - I on the Illini YouTube

Mike, Ked & Matt talk Vernon Woodward 3-star DB - […]

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Demetrius John - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DL - I on the Illini YouTube

Demetrius John - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DL - I on the Illini YouTube

Mike @MikeCagley Ked @KedPrince4 & Matt @matthewcstevens talk Demetrius […]

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Angelo McCullom - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DL - I on the Illini YouTube

Angelo McCullom - Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DL - I on the Illini YouTube

Player: Angelo McCullom  Position: Defensive Line Height: 6-foot-3 Weight: […]

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Andrew Dennis - Illini 2024 Signee: 4-star OL - I on the Illini YouTube

Andrew Dennis - Illini 2024 Signee: 4-star OL - I on the Illini YouTube

Mike, Kedric Prince & Matthew Stevens talk AJ Dennis, […]

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Football Recruiting Spotlight on Anthony Johnson

Football Recruiting Spotlight on Anthony Johnson

Steve Sturm, IlliniGuys Football Analyst

December 21, 2023

Illinois lost a big portal commitment when Clay Patterson of Yale reneged on his commitment to the Illini, but they added a similarly talented player a few days later when Youngstown State's Anthony Johnson committed to the Illini over several high major offers.

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Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DB Vernon Woodward

Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star DB Vernon Woodward

Vernon Woodward was the first of the three Illinois signees in this 2024 recruiting class that was flipped from an initial commitment of a Big Ten Conference program. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 20, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athetics)

Player: Vernon Woodward

Position: Cornerback

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 180

Hometown: Winter Park, Fla.

High School: Winter Park

Other offers: UCF, Wisconsin, Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida Atlantic, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Missouri, Ole Miss, Purdue, and Virginia.

Mark Vernon Woodward down as the first of three verbal pledge flips toward Illinois after the prospect had given a commitment to a Big Ten Conference rival program. 

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Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star CB Amar Reynolds

Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star CB Amar Reynolds

A 20-year friendship between a Florida high school head coach and Illinois head coach Bret Bielema results in another recruiting victory for Bielema’s college program.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 20, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Player:  Amar Reynolds

Position: Cornerback

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 175

Hometown: Vero Beach, Fla.

High School: Vero Beach

Other offers: Charlotte, Florida A&M, Indiana, Western Kentucky, and Middle Tennessee State

The recruitment of Amar Reynolds to Illinois is more of a product in a lot of ways of who you know than what you know.

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Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star OLB Daniel Brown

Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star OLB Daniel Brown

The Illinois football coaching staff believes they’ve signed the nation’s best FBS-ready pass rusher in the nation in the form of Hutchinson Community College edge Daniel Brown.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 20, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Player: Daniel Brown

Position: Outside Linebacker

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 240

Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.

Transfer School: Hutchinson C.C.

Other offers: Alabama State, Buffalo, and Alcorn State.

During the Illinois bye week in October, Illini head coach Bret Bielema visited multiple junior colleges in the Iowa and Kansas area during that five-day period.

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Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star CB Chase Canada

Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star CB Chase Canada

Illinois recruited junior college cornerback Chase Canada’s older brother in 2022 and while they lost that battle to TCU, the Illini picked up the younger brother from the same program just a year later. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 20, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Player: Chase Canada

Position: Cornerback

Height: 6-foot-0

Weight: 185

Hometown: Richmond, Texas

Transfer School: Trinity Valley C.C.

Other offers: Charlotte, UConn and Georgia Southern.

The successful recruitment Chase Canada started with Illinois head coach Bret Bielema recruiting a cornerback named Channing Canada out of Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. Channing eventually would select TCU as his next destination as he recorded 20 tackles, one tackle for loss and a sack in the 2023 campaign with the Horned Frogs. 

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IlliniGuys Illinois Football Wednesday Night Signing Day Recap

IlliniGuys Illinois Football Wednesday Night Signing Day Recap

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema claims he recognizes that injuries decimating his program’s line play on both sides of the ball, similarly to what happened in 2023, can’t occur again. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 20, 2023

CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois head football coach entered this past summer quietly worried about how thin their depth was on both sides of the line-of-scrimmage and that fear came to reality quickly into the 2023 campaign.

As long as he holds that position at the University of Illinois, Bret Bielema never wants to have that feeling again. 

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Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star WR Mario Sanders

Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star WR Mario Sanders

The only question that remains for junior college signee Mario Sanders is how many different ways Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. will want to get him involved in the scheme. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 20, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Player: Mario Sanders

Position: Wide Receiver 

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 190

Hometown: Minneapolis

Transfer: Iowa Central C.C.

Other offers: Eastern Kentucky, UNI, Sam Houston State, and Utah State.

The Illinois football coaching staff believes Sanders, who led all National Junior College Athletics Association players during this past 2023 season in receptions (72), finished second in receiving yards (942) and tied for first in receiving touchdowns (12), could be an instant impact slot receiver starting in the upcoming 2024 season. 

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Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star QB Trey Petty

Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star QB Trey Petty

Trey Petty maintained his verbal pledge to Illinois for months despite being heavily pursued by local Southeastern Conference power programs. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 20, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Player: Trey Petty

Position: Quarterback 

Height: 6-foot-0

Weight: 200

Hometown: Starkville, Miss.

High School: Starkville

Other offers: Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Indiana, San Diego State, Southern Miss and Tulsa.

The talk of everybody outside of the Petty household was whether the Starkville (Miss.) High School quarterback would keep his commitment to Illinois. 

This talk however did not exist within the Petty household and the Smith Family Football Complex. 

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Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star TE Tanner Hollinger

Illini 2024 Signee: 3-star TE Tanner Hollinger

Tanner Hollinger will be trying to make the leap from eight-man high school football in Nebraska to playing in the Big Ten Conference.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 20, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Player: Tanner Hollinger

Position: Tight End

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 235

Hometown: Stromsburg, Neb.

High School: Cross County

Other offers: Air Force, Brown, Colgate, Northern Iowa, Yale and UAB.

In a similar fashion of Easton Baker’s recruitment from Utaht, nobody should expect Tanner Hollinger’s signing day news to result in a pipeline for the Illinois football program from Nebraska.

Hollinger, who played eight-man football at Cross County High School, is slated to be the first Illini football player from the state of Nebraska to earn a letter since Omaha native Leo Klein played right end in 1915-17.

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