Illinois Sports Information
December 10, 2022
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Illinois football team handed out its 2022 team awards at the annual Illinois Football Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening at the I Hotel. Chase Brown (offense), Devon Witherspoon (defense), and Caleb Griffin (special teams) took home MVP awards. Former Illini Brit Miller emceed the event, which also featured Director of Athletics Josh Whitman and head coach Bret Bielema. A full list of award winners is below.
Illinois Traditional Awards
| Award | Winner |
| The Scholar Athlete Award | Alex Pihlstrom |
| The Wright Commitment to Excellence Award | Chase Brown and Sydney Brown |
| The Paul and Tiz Bresee Award - Illini FamILLy Award | Tarique Barnes and Michael Marchese |
| The Bruce Capel Award | Jartavius Martin |
| The Land of Lincoln Award | Alex Palczewski and Julian Pearl |
| The Tim McCarthy Scholarship | Michael Marchese |
| Spirit of the Illini Award | Jason Epperson |
Team Awards
| Award | Winner |
| Red Grange Offensive MVP | Chase Brown |
| Dick Butkus Defensive MVP | Devon Witherspoon |
| Dike Eddleman Special Teams MVP | Caleb Griffin |
| Rookie of the Year | Gabe Jacas |
| Illini Power | Isaac Darkangelo and Isaiah Adams |
| Coaches Appreciation Offense | Tommy DeVito and Reggie Love III |
| Coaches Appreciation Defense | Seth Coleman and Jer'Zhan Newton |
| Howard Griffith Impact Player Award | Tahveon Nicholson, Keith Randolph Jr., Isaiah Williams |
| Offensive Look Team Player of the Year | Clayton Leonard |
| Defensive Look Team Player of the Year | James Kreutz |
| Special Teams Look Team Player of the Year | Mike Manning |
IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular - $100 Million Donation, Illini Football Update & Canelo vs Crawford S5Ep5 - 9.12.25
Listen
Illinois Football Preview - Western Michigan - #501
Listen
Illini Destroy Duke 45-19 #500
Listen
Illini FB at Duke & Arch Panic - S5Ep4 - 9.5.25
Listen
Illini Football Preview versus Duke - #499
Listen
Illini Destroy Leathernecks 52-3 - #498
Listen
Illini FB is Here, So Is Petrovic & Illini in NFL - S5Ep3 - 8.29.25
Listen
I on the Illini - Western Illinois Preview #497
Listen
Illini FB & BB Updates & Phil Steele on the 2025 Illini FB Season - S5Ep2 - 8.22.25
Listen
1st Show of 5th Season, Illini FB Ranked #12 - S5Ep1 - 8.15.25
Listen
The Top 5 Illini Basketball Coaches in IlliniGuy Memory - #496
Listen
Greg Glass – NIL Primer & Can Fanstake.com Help Attract & Retain Athletic Talent - #495
Listen
Interviews with Bret Bielema, Cam Crocker & Matt Stevens - S4Ep52 - 8.8.25
Listen
Illini FB Coach Bret Bielema Chats with Mike & Rob Louthain Talks NIL & Illini Media - #494
Listen
IlliniGuys Top 5 Fighting Illini Cs in our Lifetime - #493
Listen
Subscriber Testimonials:
Not a member? Join our mailing list:
