Illini Football 2019

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#151      
So 3 non conference games
Home vs Nebraska
At Mich St
At Purdue
Home vs Northwestern
?
Wait, I need to be specific? Dang. Let's go with Minny, Rutger, MSU, NW.
Though Iowa may be worse than Nebby or MSU, so maybe them instead...or in addition to. :)
 
#152      
I don't hate. He seems worth a gamble. You just laid it on really, really thick.

I think this is a phenomenal pickup. Maybe the best Under noticed player this staff has found and the best tape of any dB we have on roster. He exhibits, speed, instinct, technique, hops, and ability to read. I wish he could have put on some weight this summer, but I think he will see the field this year.
 
#153      
I think this is a phenomenal pickup. Maybe the best Under noticed player this staff has found and the best tape of any dB we have on roster. He exhibits, speed, instinct, technique, hops, and ability to read. I wish he could have put on some weight this summer, but I think he will see the field this year.
Better that Quez and Quan....?:censored:
 
#156      
Yes, we are competing with Alabama, Florida state, and Georgia. We have comparable programs. And you are right, the staff hasn’t found any gems. Sydney brown, Nate Hobbs, Bennett Williams, Quan Martin. To name a few.

Whether or not you think the program is on the right track, the staff has consistently found undervalued recruits. We won’t know about this recruit for at least a year, but everything I have seen and read, this looks like a similar pickup to Sydney brown.
Gee, which of those "undervalued" recruits made all B1G and won games for us? They're all defensive players. Williams was dropped ;last year and Brown and Martin have only shown flashes. Hobbs may be ready to break out, but he had some quality offers and he was never "undervalued" by his field performance.

We could overflow this message with Lovie "reaches" that were busts, most of which are gone, and quality players who just left (LB Watson, that top safety, a few others)
 
#157      

Deleted member 654622

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Gee, which of those "undervalued" recruits made all B1G and won games for us? They're all defensive players. Williams was dropped ;last year and Brown and Martin have only shown flashes. Hobbs may be ready to break out, but he had some quality offers and he was never "undervalued" by his field performance.

We could overflow this message with Lovie "reaches" that were busts, most of which are gone, and quality players who just left (LB Watson, that top safety, a few others)

Yes they have found some quality players that were undervalued. Bennett Williams was a Freshman All American was he not? I hear Sydney Brown has put on some real solid weight this summer so I am interested to see what he is going to bring. No one has helped us win B1G games, you are correct. But I believe they will. Most undervalued recruits do not become Freshman All-Americans. In the end, the talent on this roster has increased by a substantial margin. And in the end, that is what we need to get the ball rolling.
 
#158      
Yes they have found some quality players that were undervalued. Bennett Williams was a Freshman All American was he not? I hear Sydney Brown has put on some real solid weight this summer so I am interested to see what he is going to bring. No one has helped us win B1G games, you are correct. But I believe they will. Most undervalued recruits do not become Freshman All-Americans. In the end, the talent on this roster has increased by a substantial margin. And in the end, that is what we need to get the ball rolling.
I always thought Bennett Williams was recruited by Illinois because his dad played with Hardy Nickerson at Cal. Might have just been a coincidence. Anyway, an interesting name to bring up when discussing Witherspoon: neither was recruited by another P5 school, but both had received some local notoriety. (Williams, I believe, was conference MVP his senior year.)

Honest question: Has this staff actually done a better job at finding "hidden gems" than any previous staff, or really any other staff at any other comparable P5 school? Obviously, the more undervalued players brought in, the better the odds one will be found, but I don't know if the current staff is doing any better than Beckman in that regard. (There is no doubt the higher end recruiting is improved since Beckman.) It might be too early to tell.
 
#159      

Deleted member 656517

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Obviously, the more undervalued players brought in, the better the odds one will be found, but I don't know if the current staff is doing any better than Beckman in that regard.
IMO there’s a big difference. Lovie’s brought in players with great frames and speed that have uber loads of potential to grow. Beckmans guys were quite the opposite with only Mac level athleticism.
 
#160      
I always thought Bennett Williams was recruited by Illinois because his dad played with Hardy Nickerson at Cal. Might have just been a coincidence. Anyway, an interesting name to bring up when discussing Witherspoon: neither was recruited by another P5 school, but both had received some local notoriety. (Williams, I believe, was conference MVP his senior year.)

Honest question: Has this staff actually done a better job at finding "hidden gems" than any previous staff, or really any other staff at any other comparable P5 school? Obviously, the more undervalued players brought in, the better the odds one will be found, but I don't know if the current staff is doing any better than Beckman in that regard. (There is no doubt the higher end recruiting is improved since Beckman.) It might be too early to tell.

This is a great question. I’m going to commission an empirical study to figure this out on a grander scale with many universities and coaches. I will get back to the board in several years with my findings.
 
#161      
This is a great question. I’m going to commission an empirical study to figure this out on a grander scale with many universities and coaches. I will get back to the board in several years with my findings.
Ha ha. The way you talk up this staff, I thought for sure you already had done this study!
 
#162      

Deleted member 654622

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Ha ha. The way you talk up this staff, I thought for sure you already had done this study!
I'm going to go out on a limb and say the current staff has done a better job of landing lower ranked recruits that turn out to be really good, over Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, and LSU...
 
#163      

foby

Bonnaroo Land
I always thought Bennett Williams was recruited by Illinois because his dad played with Hardy Nickerson at Cal. Might have just been a coincidence. Anyway, an interesting name to bring up when discussing Witherspoon: neither was recruited by another P5 school, but both had received some local notoriety. (Williams, I believe, was conference MVP his senior year.)

Honest question: Has this staff actually done a better job at finding "hidden gems" than any previous staff, or really any other staff at any other comparable P5 school? Obviously, the more undervalued players brought in, the better the odds one will be found, but I don't know if the current staff is doing any better than Beckman in that regard. (There is no doubt the higher end recruiting is improved since Beckman.) It might be too early to tell.
I would think the season Isaiah Gay has could help answer this.
 
#164      
Ha ha. The way you talk up this staff, I thought for sure you already had done this study!

This staff has been climbing uphill. They have burnt the program to the ground and Created a structure that didn’t exist: pipelines, talent, identity. They have found and stacked the program with big caliber talent.

What they haven’t done is win. It’s not hard to imagine when half the players on the field are true freshmen that experienced offenses will be able to exploit defensive breakdowns and run away with games.

But, this team will no longer have that excuse. The staff doesn’t have to win every game. But they need to have fewer breakdowns and missed coverage. The team must be able to plug holes on defense and move the chains on offense. This staff needs to show they can win. I agree with you. At this point winning is what matters most.
 
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