Illinois Football Recruiting Thread

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#201      
Unless I’m just mixing a bunch of these up, it feels like more than half our class will enroll early. Is that normal?

It seems like we clearly targeted guys we could get here a semester early.
From a high school counseling perspective, we start talking to kids who want to try to qualify to play college sports their freshman year. We explain the GPA minimums they need to pass the clearinghouses (depending on DI, DII, etc) and our early grad plans.

I find it entirely likely that kids who get attention from college recruiters early are making plans to graduate high school and enroll early from the start. To me, this is another sign that we're getting in with the right kids early on instead of scrambling to fill our roster at the end of the recruiting season.
 
#202      
Plus every year is virtual free agency. Just bc Anderson doesn’t want to go to Illinois his freshman year doesn’t mean he won’t come his later years.
yea

to date , we’ve been lucky we haven’t lost many of our younger coveted players , but plenty of the SEC schools have , once players realize they’ve been pushed down the depth chart

our luck may start to run out , but there will be plenty of opportunities for us to get guys who feel they’ve been wronged by their original choice .

it’s a new world , and unless the B1G & SEC decides to make transferring a little painful , it won’t stop .

we will have second chances for some guys. time will tell who .
 
#203      
Plus every year is virtual free agency. Just bc Anderson doesn’t want to go to Illinois his freshman year doesn’t mean he won’t come his later years.

Not necessarily disagreeing, but if he decides to transfer down the road, it's likely bc he didn't get the playing time he was hoping for, wasn't high enough on the depth chart, etc. And, in that case, does Bielema even use a ride on another power conference player that wasn't producing? Usually, portal transfers at decent programs have produced at whatever level they were at

For the Andersons/Sutters/etc, I think our best shot is a late flip after another good season. Once they enroll elsewhere, I don't think it's likely they make it back
 
#204      
Not necessarily disagreeing, but if he decides to transfer down the road, it's likely bc he didn't get the playing time he was hoping for, wasn't high enough on the depth chart, etc. And, in that case, does Bielema even use a ride on another power conference player that wasn't producing? Usually, portal transfers at decent programs have produced at whatever level they were at

For the Andersons/Sutters/etc, I think our best shot is a late flip after another good season. Once they enroll elsewhere, I don't think it's likely they make it back
We’ve had good luck taking some P4 players who haven’t “produced” at their previous schools — Luke Altmyer and Zakari Franklin, to name a couple.
 
#206      
Not a Bielema commit but Brandon Peters put his body on the line for us.
Amen to that. Will never forget this dive for a first down late in his final game v. Cal. 4th-and-17 with 1:44 left down 15 in the Redbox Bowl.




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#207      
#208      
Yeah.

As I recall, at that point of the Lovie regime that single instance of effort was on its own a substantial moral victory. I remember watching that and my heart soaring, which was an unfamiliar and alarming feeling at the time while watching Illini football. We'd had that insane comeback in East Lansing in November but otherwise dem were dark times.

I'm glad it's no longer 2019. Or '20. Or '21. For so many reasons, most not related to football.
 
#209      
Did some digging in Coach B tenure and Lunney our TE''s as a group get 20 passes the entire season. An occasional slot or out of back field dink, no more than 10 in a entire season. Predominantly used as extra blocker. While this continues, do not expect highly ranked NFL wanna be TE's calling Illini home. I hope with a influx of talent that would change. I expect Brayden Trimble to get serious slot and long pass work as a true freshman. That's why you enroll early.
My dream is Myson Johnson Cook formally of Decatur MacArthur HS, now Desoto TX, get 5 million from us and becomes the next Eric Dickerson of 21st century.
 
#210      
Yesterday, watched 100th re dedication of Memorial stadium against Michigan last year. Man oh man, I am ready for CFB. Single game tickets please 🙏.
Since school infused revenue sharing court order. With NIL, has our NIL kept pace? What is our pool approximately, 25 million or so?
 
#211      
Yesterday, watched 100th re dedication of Memorial stadium against Michigan last year. Man oh man, I am ready for CFB. Single game tickets please 🙏.
Since school infused revenue sharing court order. With NIL, has our NIL kept pace? What is our pool approximately, 25 million or so?
each school max NIL revenue sharing is 20.5 M
at UI, football is to get about 15M per Josh

Officially , any other private NIL has to pass the smell test as per Deloitte . no one knows really how that will work
 
#212      
Thank you. We were on point with NIL and football was I believe between 10 to 12 million last year. Correct? Per coach B.
 
#213      
Not necessarily disagreeing, but if he decides to transfer down the road, it's likely bc he didn't get the playing time he was hoping for, wasn't high enough on the depth chart, etc. And, in that case, does Bielema even use a ride on another power conference player that wasn't producing? Usually, portal transfers at decent programs have produced at whatever level they were at

For the Andersons/Sutters/etc, I think our best shot is a late flip after another good season. Once they enroll elsewhere, I don't think it's likely they make it back

The staff really wanted Miles McVay a 2nd time around and he didn’t do much at Alabama. Granted Illinois didn’t get him, but I think it would have helped to have the same relationship they had with Anderson

I’m sure there will be some TSJs and Guerriers on the football side where you miss them out of HS, but you get them coming back.
 
#214      
The Anderson chatter reminds me of the Schutt chatter in basketball. Some people have it in their head that they'll come back when they get beaten out

Possible, but unlikely. Especially if we get a 9 or 10 win season. We'll have a whole new round of talent to draw from. It's not obvious to me that Anderson would be preferred over a 27 recruit or transfer. And would he even want to come? He can't get time at Alabama. Even with the high school ranking he's far from certain to get time with us.

A lot of fans were really invested in this recruitment and I think it’s clouding judgement.
 
#216      
Did some digging in Coach B tenure and Lunney our TE''s as a group get 20 passes the entire season. An occasional slot or out of back field dink, no more than 10 in a entire season. Predominantly used as extra blocker. While this continues, do not expect highly ranked NFL wanna be TE's calling Illini home. I hope with a influx of talent that would change. I expect Brayden Trimble to get serious slot and long pass work as a true freshman. That's why you enroll early.
My dream is Myson Johnson Cook formally of Decatur MacArthur HS, now Desoto TX, get 5 million from us and becomes the next Eric Dickerson of 21st century.
Yes we utilize tight ends in our passing as little as about any team in the big10. Why would a top tight end prospect want to come to Illinois with our history of so little usage of them in the passing game. That includes recent years, even with a great qb like Luke. We start utilizing tight ends like Iowa we might be able to change that.
 
#217      
Did some digging in Coach B tenure and Lunney our TE''s as a group get 20 passes the entire season. An occasional slot or out of back field dink, no more than 10 in a entire season. Predominantly used as extra blocker. While this continues, do not expect highly ranked NFL wanna be TE's calling Illini home. I hope with a influx of talent that would change. I expect Brayden Trimble to get serious slot and long pass work as a true freshman. That's why you enroll early.
My dream is Myson Johnson Cook formally of Decatur MacArthur HS, now Desoto TX, get 5 million from us and becomes the next Eric Dickerson of 21st century.
Tim Brewster caight 45 and 52 passes for mike white in our liberty bowl and rose bowl year
 
#218      
The staff really wanted Miles McVay a 2nd time around and he didn’t do much at Alabama. Granted Illinois didn’t get him, but I think it would have helped to have the same relationship they had with Anderson

I’m sure there will be some TSJs and Guerriers on the football side where you miss them out of HS, but you get them coming back.
The UNC 247 football staff gave a brutal assessment of Miles. If he starts at UNC it’ll be a long year for them on the OL. The kid is at least a year away from being an every down player.
 
#219      
Yes we utilize tight ends in our passing as little as about any team in the big10. Why would a top tight end prospect want to come to Illinois with our history of so little usage of them in the passing game. That includes recent years, even with a great qb like Luke. We start utilizing tight ends like Iowa we might be able to change that.
Fair, but receiving is just one aspect of TE play. Tip Reiman didn't get drafted for his receiving. He got drafted for his run blocking.

And it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation. I believe the ball finds its way into the hands of the most talented players on offense. We just haven't had the personnel to run an offense heavy on passes to TEs.

Tom Brady basically never had a TE recive for over 500 yards until Gronk and Aaron Hernandez (yikes) showed up. Then suddenly in 2010 they both show up as rookies and he has 2 TEs heavily involved in the passing game, both for over 500 yards. Then in 2011 they combined for over 2200 yards. It was never that Belichick and Brady didn't want to pass to TEs. They just needed to have TEs good enough to get those touches.
 
#220      
Fair, but receiving is just one aspect of TE play. Tip Reiman didn't get drafted for his receiving. He got drafted for his run blocking.

And it's a bit of a chicken and egg situation. I believe the ball finds its way into the hands of the most talented players on offense. We just haven't had the personnel to run an offense heavy on passes to TEs.

Tom Brady basically never had a TE recive for over 500 yards until Gronk and Aaron Hernandez (yikes) showed up. Then suddenly in 2010 they both show up as rookies and he has 2 TEs heavily involved in the passing game, both for over 500 yards. Then in 2011 they combined for over 2200 yards. It was never that Belichick and Brady didn't want to pass to TEs. They just needed to have TEs good enough to get those touches.

for sure. but kids want blueprints, otherwise the leap of faith will probably be a bit too much. particularly for kids with great options.

take hoops, for example. we've had pretty darn good success recruiting. but the knock was we only put a trickle of guys in The League. KJ and Will check some big boxes for us. not suggesting a blueprint is everything, but it sure helps. in some cases, an awful lot
 
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#221      
for sure. but kids want blueprints, otherwise the leap of faith will probably be a bit too much. particularly for kids with great options.

take hoops, for example. we've had pretty darn good success recruiting. but the knock was we only put a trickle of guys in The League. KJ and Will check some big boxes for us. not suggesting a blueprint is everything, but it sure helps. in some cases, an awful lot
yea. it will require us having a TE that can get 40-50 catches for 700 yds . maybe Rusk is that guy to get it started
 
#224      
yea. it will require us having a TE that can get 40-50 catches for 700 yds . maybe Rusk is that guy to get it started
I should hope not. There was only one TE in the entire conference that hit those marks last season (Tyler Warren), 3 in P4 conferences, and 6 in Division I. Neither Alabama nor Ole Miss have had anyone hit those marks in years. Alabama hasn't had a TE hit 700 yards since 2018 and Ole Miss hasn't had a TE hit 700 yards since 2016.
 
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