Illini Football 2019

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#526      
I assume you can become eligible again in your transfer year, if that is really the issue. If we don't get a transfer, the Lovie evaluation will become more nuanced. Recruiting appears to be picking up. If we lose a couple close games due to inexperience at qb and finish 5 and 7 or 4 and 8, I can live with it if we have a good recruiting class. Lovie needs to learn you can't be caught without a qb in college. Think IW will be OK this year if he can handle the hits he will take. After that, we should be in good shape for 2 to 3 years.
 
#527      
Well if it was common knowledge inside the program, this helps to explain why some of the transfer WRs not sticking around. One year to make noise and the only QB with any game experience is probably not going to be there might have been a bridge too far for them.
 
#528      
Some people may view all these transfers, non-waivers, etc as excuses for keeping Lovie with less than 6 wins this year. I think all these events make me strongly in the 6+ or fired camp. You can only drink so much Koolaid. At some point you can’t excuse away every bad thing that happens. This program is not healthy.
Here's how I think you have to look at it. Will we be better in 2020 thru 2023 with or without Lovie? If Lovie gets fired and Rod Smith is not the new coach, 2020 recruiting will be a disaster and with the number of transfers occurring these days, we will be mired in last place as long as the eye can see. If Lovie wins 2 or 3 and we get waxed in most of the losses, he would be hard to defend and recruiting probably dies anyway. Otherwise, I am inclined to give him 1 or 2 more years. I am counting on Isaiah to be the guy and we need to see him play through his soph year and see where we are. I hope this is a moot debate and we win 6.
 
#529      

Juice4

Juice4
Argenta, IL
These transfers who are doing so due to academic issues ... don't they realize that their new school just might have their student athletes go to class there as well? I assume they all have offerings for a major in Recreation and Park Administration.
I worked hard for my Parks and Rec. Admin, degree so don't be a Dave, Dave
 
#530      

KrushCow31

Former Krush Cow
Chicago, IL
All these recruits are coming to Illinois because of Lovie and his NFL experience and connections. Firing Lovie would destroy his coaching core and cause a lot of transfers and decommitments. It would destroy any progress we've had.
 
#531      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Some people may view all these transfers, non-waivers, etc as excuses for keeping Lovie with less than 6 wins this year. I think all these events make me strongly in the 6+ or fired camp. You can only drink so much Koolaid. At some point you can’t excuse away every bad thing that happens. This program is not healthy.

This program was a complete tire fire when Smith took over. Where we are now isn't good, but the trend is. The program is in much better shape now than it was 3-4 years ago.
 
#532      

illini80

Forgottonia
This program was a complete tire fire when Smith took over. Where we are now isn't good, but the trend is. The program is in much better shape now than it was 3-4 years ago.
Agreed. I don’t think anyone thought it would take this long when Lovie was hired, but the trend is up and I would hate to start over again. Just the fact that we are relevant again in recruiting is refreshing and seems so far from where we’ve been. We may not win the division anytime soon, but I’ll take an extended period of 6-8 wins and bowl games on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.
 
#533      
This program was a complete tire fire when Smith took over. Where we are now isn't good, but the trend is. The program is in much better shape now than it was 3-4 years ago.
11 wins in the 2 seasons prior to Lovie. 9 wins in the 3 seasons with Lovie. Were we in a good place? Hell no. “Not ideal” should go down as one of the worst decisions in modern college athletics. Are we in a better place now? All evidence points to another “hell no.” There’s a chance we’re better off. The recruiting is slightly better but I’d consider it marginally acceptable for a big name 5 mil per year hire. It’s looking better for this upcoming class right now, but a lot of that will depend on how we actually perform this year. Which of course circles back to Lovie and needing 6 wins.

Sorry for stoking this fire. All these tough blows are just hitting me with some clarity. Going into Lovies 4th season, we have a heck of a lot less stability than we should have. Our defense is coming off the worst season in school history with nearly the same lineup returning. And our improved offense has so many unknowns. Our QB is a yet to be named 5th year transfer QB, true frosh ATH, or a redshirt soph 2 star with no meaningful game experience. The WR depth chart is walkons, 5th year transfer(s), Ricky Smalling. At TE we’re hoping for a NCAA waiver. Talk about “not ideal.”
 
#534      
11 wins in the 2 seasons prior to Lovie. 9 wins in the 3 seasons with Lovie. Were we in a good place? Hell no. “Not ideal” should go down as one of the worst decisions in modern college athletics. Are we in a better place now? All evidence points to another “hell no.” There’s a chance we’re better off. The recruiting is slightly better but I’d consider it marginally acceptable for a big name 5 mil per year hire. It’s looking better for this upcoming class right now, but a lot of that will depend on how we actually perform this year. Which of course circles back to Lovie and needing 6 wins.

Sorry for stoking this fire. All these tough blows are just hitting me with some clarity. Going into Lovies 4th season, we have a heck of a lot less stability than we should have. Our defense is coming off the worst season in school history with nearly the same lineup returning. And our improved offense has so many unknowns. Our QB is a yet to be named 5th year transfer QB, true frosh ATH, or a redshirt soph 2 star with no meaningful game experience. The WR depth chart is walkons, 5th year transfer(s), Ricky Smalling. At TE we’re hoping for a NCAA waiver. Talk about “not ideal.”

Here are some problems with your arguments.

1. 11 wins in 2 prior seasons: this is thanks to seniors, which were light and underdeveloped when Lovie got here. To be fair, Lovie could have won a few more games than he did, but we didn’t have the talent to compete in the last 3 years. This upcoming year and the following year should see improvement, as we now have upperclassmen and a consistent culture.

2. We are not better off: when Lovie got here, our recruiting was in shambles. We didn’t have strong relationships with top programs. That has turned completely around. He argued that the culture was toxic. Rather than keep toxic cities, he burned the program down.the expectation after that, was that we have an atrocious 2 years with underclassmen. Then things turn around. He has been careful with culture. He kicked off the kids using blow. He brought in some high level talent. He also made mistakes and our team lacks depth. Our starting lineup has tons of talent. Next year, depth should start to improve.

3. Recruiting depends on 6 wins: this isn’t true. If Lovie closes out this class as expected, we are in a great position moving forward. The hire was a bit crazy. No hs connections, no experience in college. And he has made mistakes, but he has learned, that’s what you expect, not a flawless coach, but improvements. He is balancing the roster, improving talent, adjusting his playbook, making great hires. All of this is leading to stronger relationships. Just because you first heard about Mj today, doesn’t mean that the staff hasn’t been working on this. They have more set up than you know.

4. Our defense is coming off the worst season in school history with nearly the same lineup returning: You May have meant it this way, but the 2nd half is a key reason for the first half of the sentence.

5: WRs can be immediate impact players. This is not as much of a concern. The qb situatuon is problematic. The TE situation is great.


What we need is to improve. I’m way more concerned at linebacker than at wr. And our OL depth is weak. We have some great receivers joining us. And a lot of speed joining us. We should see considerable improvement on defense because the team is older. I’m less worried about record and more worried about whether Lovies defense can work in college. But this season will see improvement. Maybe a bowl game. Maybe not. But improved defense with a few holes will land is recruits. Improved qb play 1/2way through the season because a 5* qb joins the ranks is reason to believe the tide is turning. That’s what I’m watching for.
 
#536      
Illinois has instability in its program? Perhaps. But how is Illinois any different than anywhere else. We're itching for transfers. Well, where do they come from? Programs with instability?

That said, Tommy Stevens. They're in mild panic in Pennsylvania, or at least the fans are. Franklin apparently not. Or definitely not saying it out loud. Stevens didn't want to be sitting on the bench his last year at PSU after already having had to play second fiddle. Pennsylvania on Stevens

So he wantsto go somewhere he can play? Miami of Ohio? Yes, but Miami of Ohio.

Mississippi State? The kid's from Indianapolis. Does he want to go to Mississippi? And with what likelihood of playing there?

Or there's Illinois. Not that far from home. B1G...with possible revenge against Penn State if things go well in Champaign.

Just playing the intagiables.

That said, any word on Stevens' visit this weekend?
 
#537      
Illinois has instability in its program? Perhaps. But how is Illinois any different than anywhere else. We're itching for transfers. Well, where do they come from? Programs with instability?

That said, Tommy Stevens. They're in mild panic in Pennsylvania, or at least the fans are. Franklin apparently not. Or definitely not saying it out loud. Stevens didn't want to be sitting on the bench his last year at PSU after already having had to play second fiddle. Pennsylvania on Stevens

So he wantsto go somewhere he can play? Miami of Ohio? Yes, but Miami of Ohio.

Mississippi State? The kid's from Indianapolis. Does he want to go to Mississippi? And with what likelihood of playing there?

Or there's Illinois. Not that far from home. B1G...with possible revenge against Penn State if things go well in Champaign.

Just playing the intagiables.

That said, any word on Stevens' visit this weekend?
His old OC that recruited him to Penn state is now the head coach at Miss St. Also the visit is still going on.
 
#538      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
The program is in much better shape now than it was 3-4 years ago.

We're going to go out on the field this year and prove this either right or wrong.

This upcoming year and the following year should see improvement, as we now have upperclassmen and a consistent culture.

You can say the bolded until you're blue in the face, but the fact is the stability we hoped we were getting from this administration has proven to be pretty disappointing. There has been a lot of damaging churn both player and coach-wise.
 
#539      
We're going to go out on the field this year and prove this either right or wrong.



You can say the bolded until you're blue in the face, but the fact is the stability we hoped we were getting from this administration has proven to be pretty disappointing. There has been a lot of damaging churn both player and coach-wise.

I think the churn of players is not the problem (I know you think it is part of the problem). It’s the lack of replacements that is the problem. USC, penn state, lots of schools have churn. We just don’t have depth. This class should help rectify that situation. But as we add more depth, this should resolve itself. The coaches let go some solid contributers that made bad mistakes. I don’t fault that. They also started back over from scratch to create a winning culture. The next two years should jnidcate whether or not that was successful.

With coaches. I’m not as worried about he coaching churn. We have replaced most of the coaches with solid replacements. The lack of DC is troubling to most, but I think it’s a calculated gamble by Lovie and Whitman.

Ultimately, we all know that this year and next are the big years. That was always the case. So let’s keep our fingers crossed

Also, your response to Joel’s post is only somewhat accurate. Even if Lovie doesn’t stay, the next coach will be in a great position. The same can’t be said about the team that cubit left (not to say that it’s his fault. He didn’t have a contract to recruit with).
 
#540      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
Even if Lovie doesn’t stay, the next coach will be in a great position.

I'm gonna hold you to that statement.

I don't know if I would agree with "great", nor do I agree with the ridiculous claims of how bad the situation he inherited was, but regardless I definitely think if this is the end of the line for Lovie he will leave the program in better shape than he found it.
 
#542      
I'm gonna hold you to that statement.

I don't know if I would agree with "great", nor do I agree with the ridiculous claims of how bad the situation he inherited was, but regardless I definitely think if this is the end of the line for Lovie he will leave the program in better shape than he found it.

You are right. Great is an overstatement. The team has the foundation for greatness with the current class (assuming it breaks the way it is looking) and the incoming class. We need to finish this class and two more similar classes and I believe we will be great.
 
#544      
You are right. Great is an overstatement. The team has the foundation for greatness with the current class (assuming it breaks the way it is looking) and the incoming class. We need to finish this class and two more similar classes and I believe we will be great.
There are two commits in the current class, and although there are some highly rated players in the incoming class. it was ranked 13th in the Big Ten.
 
#545      

ivwilsoniv

Aurora, IL
There are two commits in the current class, and although there are some highly rated players in the incoming class. it was ranked 13th in the Big Ten.
I don't know how many times we have to go over this - it was rated 13th in the Big Ten and 59th in the country because of the limited number of incoming kids. If you look at the average ranking, it was good enough for 8th in the Big Ten and somewhere around 30th in the country.
 
#546      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
I don't know how many times we have to go over this - it was rated 13th in the Big Ten and 59th in the country because of the limited number of incoming kids. If you look at the average ranking, it was good enough for 8th in the Big Ten and somewhere around 30th in the country.

But, if you took only the best 14 players from every school's class and did an average ranking, it would drop right back down.
 
#547      
Am I the only one who likes Matt Fink better than Tommy Stevens? I think Tommy is the superior player, but Fink makes more sense for our offense.
 
#549      
11 wins in the 2 seasons prior to Lovie. 9 wins in the 3 seasons with Lovie. Were we in a good place? Hell no. “Not ideal” should go down as one of the worst decisions in modern college athletics. Are we in a better place now? All evidence points to another “hell no.” There’s a chance we’re better off. The recruiting is slightly better but I’d consider it marginally acceptable for a big name 5 mil per year hire. It’s looking better for this upcoming class right now, but a lot of that will depend on how we actually perform this year. Which of course circles back to Lovie and needing 6 wins.

Sorry for stoking this fire. All these tough blows are just hitting me with some clarity. Going into Lovies 4th season, we have a heck of a lot less stability than we should have. Our defense is coming off the worst season in school history with nearly the same lineup returning. And our improved offense has so many unknowns. Our QB is a yet to be named 5th year transfer QB, true frosh ATH, or a redshirt soph 2 star with no meaningful game experience. The WR depth chart is walkons, 5th year transfer(s), Ricky Smalling. At TE we’re hoping for a NCAA waiver. Talk about “not ideal.”

Lovie had no 1st class to speak of, so it's not really 4 years later. Recruiting-wise, it's 3 years later. Love madde some bad hires at OC and DC, but those issues have been corrected.

Re defense, Eifler and Beason are at least two players that didn't play last year, I suspect others will be playing as well. Our TE we want a waiver for is a 5* TE, so not just some everyday, run of the mill TE.

In any case, if you think Lovie doesn't get at least 2 more years you're fooling yourself.
 
#550      
But, if you took only the best 14 players from every school's class and did an average ranking, it would drop right back down.

Disagree. Lots of schools didn't have 3 or 4 recruits rated as 4*s like we did, and that didn't even include our 5* TE transfer who still has 3 years left.
 
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