The Illinois Coaching Staff

[thunderwear]

Tom Herman and any other coach who walks into a Texas high school wearing a burnt orange polo.

I disagree. Lovie has national name recognition. Tom Hermann, not so much. Hermann will secure more texas kids, because it is a state school. But Hermann won't secure as many as A&M. Inside Texas, that is reason to fire a coach.

 

[Arizona Bob]

I cant believe you put Mike White in here as a strong Illinois recruiter.

Ummmm...recruiting AA Don Thorp and Jim Juriga, Mitch Brookins, NFL DE Scott Davis, OL Rick Schulte, Brian Ward, Scott Kehoe, Mark Dennis, Mike Scully and Mark McGowan, LBs Steve Glasson, Sam Ellsworth, Darrick Brownlow, Howard Griffith, doesn't make you a strong Illinois recruiter?

As I said, Coach White concentrated on lineman and LBs when recruiting Illinois, and was pretty successful at it. He primarily went West for skill players. ironically what really killed team progress was going "all in" into the QB basket of an Illinois prep QB Jim Bennet from Aurora who had the talent to be special but just walked away from FB when we needed him to take over.

I understand the guy was adamant about being our only QB recruit in the class. Coach White went along and didn't "recruit over" him, and he got screwed by Bennet. Coach White got Jeff George to come in, and he set the standard and gave momentum to Coach Mac's tenure. One wonders how Coach White would've done and where he would have taken the program had he had two years of coaching Jeff George and had the benefits of that experience in recruiting.

Oh well, "woulda, coulda, shoulda..." but I guess the "Elton Delton" NCAA issues pretty much sealed his fate, along with that receiver from Bay City Tx who went to Okie St...

 

[Joel Goodson]

Ummmm...recruiting AA Don Thorp and Jim Juriga, Mitch Brookins, NFL DE Scott Davis, OL Rick Schulte, Brian Ward, Scott Kehoe, Mark Dennis, Mike Scully and Mark McGowan, LBs Steve Glasson, Sam Ellsworth, Darrick Brownlow, Howard Griffith, doesn't make you a strong Illinois recruiter?

As I said, Coach White concentrated on lineman and LBs when recruiting Illinois, and was pretty successful at it. He primarily went West for skill players. ironically what really killed team progress was going "all in" into the QB basket of an Illinois prep QB Jim Bennet from Aurora who had the talent to be special but just walked away from FB when we needed him to take over.

I understand the guy was adamant about being our only QB recruit in the class. Coach White went along and didn't "recruit over" him, and he got screwed by Bennet. Coach White got Jeff George to come in, and he set the standard and gave momentum to Coach Mac's tenure. One wonders how Coach White would've done and where he would have taken the program had he had two years of coaching Jeff George and had the benefits of that experience in recruiting.

Oh well, "woulda, coulda, shoulda..." but I guess the "Elton Delton" NCAA issues pretty much sealed his fate, along with that receiver from Bay City Tx who went to Okie St...

You have a helluva memory. And your observations about White's recruiting are spot on.

We need to do better in-state. Hopefully, we make good inroads with the 2021 class.

 

[ktal]

Ummmm...recruiting AA Don Thorp and Jim Juriga, Mitch Brookins, NFL DE Scott Davis, OL Rick Schulte, Brian Ward, Scott Kehoe, Mark Dennis, Mike Scully and Mark McGowan, LBs Steve Glasson, Sam Ellsworth, Darrick Brownlow, Howard Griffith, doesn't make you a strong Illinois recruiter?

As I said, Coach White concentrated on lineman and LBs when recruiting Illinois, and was pretty successful at it. He primarily went West for skill players. ironically what really killed team progress was going "all in" into the QB basket of an Illinois prep QB Jim Bennet from Aurora who had the talent to be special but just walked away from FB when we needed him to take over.

I understand the guy was adamant about being our only QB recruit in the class. Coach White went along and didn't "recruit over" him, and he got screwed by Bennet. Coach White got Jeff George to come in, and he set the standard and gave momentum to Coach Mac's tenure. One wonders how Coach White would've done and where he would have taken the program had he had two years of coaching Jeff George and had the benefits of that experience in recruiting.

Oh well, "woulda, coulda, shoulda..." but I guess the "Elton Delton" NCAA issues pretty much sealed his fate, along with that receiver from Bay City Tx who went to Okie St...

Thanks for that history. I was unfamiliar.

 

[Arizona Bob]

Ummmm...recruiting AA Don Thorp and Jim Juriga, Mitch Brookins, NFL DE Scott Davis, OL Rick Schulte, Brian Ward, Scott Kehoe, Mark Dennis, Mike Scully and Mark McGowan, LBs Steve Glasson, Sam Ellsworth, Darrick Brownlow, Howard Griffith, doesn't make you a strong Illinois recruiter?

As I said, Coach White concentrated on lineman and LBs when recruiting Illinois, and was pretty successful at it. He primarily went West for skill players. ironically what really killed team progress was going "all in" into the QB basket of an Illinois prep QB Jim Bennet from Aurora who had the talent to be special but just walked away from FB when we needed him to take over.

I understand the guy was adamant about being our only QB recruit in the class. Coach White went along and didn't "recruit over" him, and he got screwed by Bennet. Coach White got Jeff George to come in, and he set the standard and gave momentum to Coach Mac's tenure. One wonders how Coach White would've done and where he would have taken the program had he had two years of coaching Jeff George and had the benefits of that experience in recruiting.

Oh well, "woulda, coulda, shoulda..." but I guess the "Elton Delton" NCAA issues pretty much sealed his fate, along with that receiver from Bay City Tx who went to Okie St...

Hart Lee Dykes was the name of the Texas WR. First he gets bought to go to OSU, Then he screws us with the NCAA. Real class guy.

 

[BZuppke]

Ummmm...recruiting AA Don Thorp and Jim Juriga, Mitch Brookins, NFL DE Scott Davis, OL Rick Schulte, Brian Ward, Scott Kehoe, Mark Dennis, Mike Scully and Mark McGowan, LBs Steve Glasson, Sam Ellsworth, Darrick Brownlow, Howard Griffith, doesn't make you a strong Illinois recruiter?

As I said, Coach White concentrated on lineman and LBs when recruiting Illinois, and was pretty successful at it. He primarily went West for skill players. ironically what really killed team progress was going "all in" into the QB basket of an Illinois prep QB Jim Bennet from Aurora who had the talent to be special but just walked away from FB when we needed him to take over.

I understand the guy was adamant about being our only QB recruit in the class. Coach White went along and didn't "recruit over" him, and he got screwed by Bennet. Coach White got Jeff George to come in, and he set the standard and gave momentum to Coach Mac's tenure. One wonders how Coach White would've done and where he would have taken the program had he had two years of coaching Jeff George and had the benefits of that experience in recruiting.

Oh well, "woulda, coulda, shoulda..." but I guess the "Elton Delton" NCAA issues pretty much sealed his fate, along with that receiver from Bay City Tx who went to Okie St...

Very accurate assessment.

 

[Illini4727]

My problem with your assessment is if Lovie had focused on a larger percent of his time on illinios or surrounding states would he even be here today? I think there might be two ways to get to what you say we need to do 1.) Build outside in and show improvement while working on improving perception and relationships or 2.) Inside out and stuggle to build brand loyalty because your continuing to lose because that same perception above hampers recruiting a like it has been doing. Either way both take a lot of time and patience and neither is full proof.

Let's face it the quality of Illinois high school is below California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Maryland. The best Illinois high school football is not Chicago. Southern Illinois and Peoria are decent. We are getting players from scouting and former players who are high school coaches. Lovie tries to connect with Illinois high school coaches because that was dead by the time he arrived. In basketball 2 or 3 players can turnaround a program. Football needs way more. At Lovie day 1 there was no depth. Last year you could see improvement.

 

[altenberger22]

"West Virginia DC Vic Koenning placed on leave following allegations of mistreatment"

From Adam Rittenberg/ESPN........not sure if it belongs here or not.