The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
OH HECK YES! KICKER U IS BACK, BABY!!
Illinois Football Recruiting Thread
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
BERT BALL LETS GOOOOOYep
That is great news though! Stud kicker and punter coming in.....special teams covered
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
Future Ray Guy Award winner let’s goooooo!
Throw in Colts cut kicker and McLaughlin has a shot along with one other guy to be the kicker. Great week for Illinois and special teams!
This is just a copy and paste from Kohl's Kicking site on now Illinois commits Kicker Olano and Punter Duley
Olano's most recent camp was in January of 2022. He again proved to be a 5 star kicker. His ball flight is special. In December, he scored 15 of 15 points on FG's and had a KO score of 106. He also did very well in the drill work phase of camp. His ball-striking is at the D1 level. Olano should be one of the top kickers in the 2023 class.
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I know some people question giving a kicker/punter a scholarship ... Look around the NFL and College Football this past weekend ... Games are won and lost by those guys ...
If a scholarship is what it takes to get the elite of the elite in the ST department ... Have to do it.
Great get but I am old school when it comes to punting. I like kicking to the corners to pin teams inside the 5. But I guess they want more hangtime and coverage. Either way, this kid will help our D as he sounds like he has the leg to pin teams deep.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Especially given the way we want to play it's a no-brainer.
Where you get hurt is if one of these guys turns into a bust on you. 2 schollies is fine, 4-5 would be a problem.
You could unfortunately argue that's the case with Caleb Griffin, but no reason to stop trying.
I've felt spoiled by the consistency we enjoyed with our kicking and punting the past four years. But I very clearly remember the pain of special teams under Zook, and never want to repeat it. Having confidence in your special teams transforms the game experience. I am thrilled by these latest recruits, and wish them great success in the O&B.
Kyle Yelton. 3rd Stringer on scholarship. Rare but happens. As you said, though, you have to keep trying.
Pay article, so don’t know when he visited.
I think we have appreciated having a good kicker and punter lately because the last number of years could have been even worse without them. The best kind of special teams is when you don't have to worry about them on a week to week basis. If a fan or someone who even wagers on football, you better know who the kicker and punter are on the teams you follow.
Welcome to the O&B.
RZ special teams of dejuan warren's punts and khud's hands just gives me PTSD
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
“I’ll be honest, Illinois, they weren’t really kind of a school I was too excited about at first,” Duley said told the Journal Star in March, “but then after taking that visit, seeing all what they’re about, seeing what Coach Bielema's doing with that program and for that program, they really bumped up high on the list.”
Talk about a successful visit.
Talk about a successful visit.
Good grief. This might be the highest and most sincere praise yet for this coaching staff.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Proof that ABI can be cured.
Epsilon
M tipping over
- Pdx
Special teams can cover a lot of distance in 4.7 seconds. I see a lot of fair catches around the 10 yard line in our future.
Yes, great job by the coaching staff. The thing that really shows how much work needs to be done is that the quote "weren't really a school I was too excited about" was spoke by someone from EL PASO ILLINOIS!
The have TVs in El Paso too. And anyone that has watched the Illini on those TVs over the last decade hasn't seen anything to be too excited about.
Shief
- Champaign Area
I went to HS in a district that borders El Paso-Gridley, glad to see him staying home.
IlliniFan85
- Colorado Springs, CO
So besides Lott, is there any chance we bring in another WR this class? I am liking how Bryant is developing, Hightower seemed MIA against VA, and I still don't have faith in IW. After these three it seems like we really don't have much for receiving.
Am I wrong for worrying about this position going forward?
Am I wrong for worrying about this position going forward?
Illinois still has a couple of offers out to a few Florida WRs. Not sure where we stand with them but along the lines of non-rated guys that will likely be 3 star guys once they commit somewhere. There are some other receivers they have contact with but not sold on them getting a scholarship at this time.
I am not worried about the WR position right now. Depends in the off season if guys would transfer/leave that would get me alarmed a bit. Definitely have a number of young receivers on this roster learning the system and adding weight/muscle. Unfortunate Shawn Miller is out for the season. Besides Miller, they also added three other 3 star WRs in the 2022 class in Beatty, Pugh and Hollins. Pretty sure we have 8-10 FR/Redshirt receivers on this roster besides the guys people have heard of in IW, Bryant, Hightower, Washington. Illinois will just bring in another WR or two through the portal at the end of this season if need be.
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