who wouldn't want Jake Hansen returning?
Illini Football 2021
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
PJ Fleck, Kirk Ferentz, Jeff Brohm, etc
Hansen is a tad overrated, but he's our best option for 2021 without question, and he's a team leader during an offseason when keeping the group together is going to be the biggest challenge.
Every single player can transfer away for free. If this roster catches the whiff that the Bielema administration wants to clean house, the program could get completely destroyed.
And on the flip side, these returning senior scholarships are freebies. It's a no-brainer to take them all back, and to aggressively recruit them all to come back.
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Deleted member 654622
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I don't. Is he a leader, yes absolutely. And tad overrated is not accurate. He does not have the physical ability to get off blocks, clog running lanes or run down a ball carrier. We have better options already on the team
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Even accepting your argument as true, the other stuff I mentioned outweighs that.
Deleted member 654622
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Only if there are no other leaders on the team or more specifically the defensive side of the ball. To say we will be void of leadership if player A leaves is a big assumption
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The only way you could convince me this is anything other than a no-brainer would be if someone like Tolson or Barnes is telling the coaches they are going to look at other options if Hansen is in their way next year.
This next few months is a roster hinge point unlike any in the modern history of the sport. We could add 11 stud starters to our existing roster, or we could Kansas ourselves and end the Bielema era before it even starts.
Given those circumstances, "is he good?" is the wrong question to be asking, it's missing the point.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Gotta shore up the foundation before you can build on it.
Deleted member 29907
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I think there is a difference between 'want him to return' vs do we want him starting for us. As a player who represents the Illini well and has given his all - I would like him back. However, I hope we have better options next year as far as starters go. He's a great guy, but seemed to be outmatched on the field much of the time.
NOW, that all comes with the caveat that his position coach was completely unqualified. A good LBs coach might be able to take advantage of his skill set, and a covered seam in the defense may not expose him as much.
All TBD of course, but within the construct of what we had the last two years, other than forcing turnovers, he was making tackles downfield. Again, that could have been Miles' crazy scheme.
Deleted member 654622
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Him staying on the team and not starting would be me having my cake and eating it too situation. I am not sure the likelihood of that happening. You also make a good point about his position coach. I would say he has not been coached up, that is for sure.
Wisconsin vs. Illinois (Defense) - YouTube
Here is the Illinois breakdown of the defense vs Wisconsin from last year (I wish he had some breakdowns from this year but he does not. If anyone has another way to watch snap by snap of this years games, please let me know). Don't pay attention to anyone else, or any notes by the editor. Just watch #35. A roster of players of this caliber is a losing roster. Tyler Underwood might be like having another coach on the field. But he only plays sparingly for a reason. That is not missing the point IMO, that is the point.
altenberger22
- South Carolina
Nailed it. Agree on all points.
Deleted member 747671
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It would be nice to keep all these guys but I would not consider all definite starters. There's a lot of areas to upgrade on that defense, not really with our current depth but definitely through transfers.
Furthering the point about the limited number of recent Illini NFL draftees, here's a snippet from Brad Biggs' column in today's Tribune, where he was talking about former ISU and current Jags RB James Robinson:
The Redbirds have made real gains in state in the last decade, producing as much as Illinois in the way of NFL talent. “When you go to the two schools, you wouldn’t know the difference when you’re standing at practice,” the national scout said. “You might get more excited by the bodies at Illinois State. It’s closer than it should be.”
The Redbirds have made real gains in state in the last decade, producing as much as Illinois in the way of NFL talent. “When you go to the two schools, you wouldn’t know the difference when you’re standing at practice,” the national scout said. “You might get more excited by the bodies at Illinois State. It’s closer than it should be.”
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
What a sad commentary.
Hansen is a beast! Intrested in why you would pass on him?
ProfessorQC
Ace Wolf
- UofI
My thoughts as well but it looks like he won’t be coming back and will be trying to latch on somewhere else!
Please no bad mouthing to make way for some one else, Jake has been a General for this program and a model citizen! Give him all the love and respect you can on his way to out 🎖
Deleted member 654622
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@VAIllini35 made a great point about his lack of a legitimate position coach. I posted the Wisconsin game from last year in post #60. I choose that one because everyone remembers his great forced fumble to help the upset. But if you watch the whole game play by play, you see someone who cannot get off blocks, tries to run around blocks but just opens the running lane more, is not fast enough to cover down field.
I want to make sure this is clear, I am not bad mouthing any player. In fact I would say that not giving an honest opinion about a players current ability is disrespectful. I perceive Jake as a fighter and a competitor. Therefore he deserves to be handled with adult gloves and given honest feedback.Please no bad mouthing to make way for some one else, Jake has been a General for this program and a model citizen! Give him all the love and respect you can on his way to out 🎖
Didn’t think I’d ever see someone not want a player who is worth seemingly a turnover a game. Hansen had the highest tackle percentage in the country. Wow lol
ProfessorQC
Ace Wolf
- UofI
I can respect that you 100%. We want the best players on the field for the overall benefit of the entire program, not just one player. I just think we don’t have to go that route anyway or cross that bridge because he’s going to try to land on eith a team in the NFL, undrafted FA most likely or maybe he gets drafted and a team take a late round flyer on him...
But you didn’t say anything, I just thought I’d kill off any potential argument about the topic with some news that he is not likely to be back...
It’s ridiculous. I’m from the same hometown as Robinson and know people who were pushing his name towards Illinois with zero interest. Same problem on the basketball side with VanVleet.
217sports
- Springfield
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
That's a bummer, though it's better than him transferring to another school.
I wish him absolutely all the best and hope he proves me wrong, but I don't think he has a pro future and lets hope his similarly situated teammates are willing to give it another go.
Thank you ,I'll check out the Wisconsin game .
For me I think it would be a big W to have Hansen back for Turnovers alone but good point and looking forward to the video as far as ability to get off blocks.
ProfessorQC
Ace Wolf
- UofI
Too many grammatical errors, I apologize guys I’m at work typing without proofreading
But yes, Hansen to the NFL is good for everyone involved
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