Recent content by DeonThomas

I'm following pretty darned closely --- perhaps seen 40-50% of the TV coverage thus far. And I haven't yet seen Detry take a swing. Am I just tuning-in at the wrong times? He's just getting no respect, I tell you! He's -5 currently and just three shots off the lead. I'm expecting to see...

I can BUY Butkus and Gradishar. -- Spielman seems like just one of many "really good" LB's in the Big 10 over the past century. -- I've never heard of George Webster. -- And I never viewed Fitzgerald as "Top .1%" when watching him play in the 1990's.

This is an extremely critical point/observation!!! Wholeheartedly agree! At a minimum, he should absolutely see big minutes in all of our blow-out games. And he has to be ready for those instances when Katin gets his bell rung.

Our projected opening night starting line-up? As well as the first 3 off the bench? TY!!!!

Nah. I like the unwritten rule: Big Ten programs should not poach other Big Ten programs.

The perfect man to respond. Makes sense. TY!

With Bret considering hundreds of high school FB players each year, I tap into this thread only occasionally. And I always couple it with a quick peek into the 247 Big Ten Recruiting Rankings. Here's my 2-minute take: 2026: We're at #6 in the Big Ten and we have 37 signed recruits (five...

"TANK" = not the 1-word description for a QB that truly gets me excited. (Bad read on my part?)

Quite possible that Self gets the #1 nod here, when it comes to: * the # of top recruits based upon his tenure in Champaign * choosing the "right" talent among those ranked in the Top 100 (i.e. legitimate talent), and then finally * making the most of the top talent he brought into the building...

And it all started with................ Michael Finke Aaron Jordan LeRon Black Mark Alstork Te'Jon Lucas Mark Smith Et.al..........

And what's really odd? There's even a good vibe coming from Joe Tipton! (Those damn Tipton edits for recruiting news have been a thorn in our side for the past 4-5 years.)

When you look the amount of time that has occurred since our Final 4 exit and today's news, this recruiting masterpiece has happened very, very quickly!!

Great photo! Great news! Great returning talent! Now let's just get that superlative "ATHLETE," dead-eye shooter, and Wagler replacement (no offense to Vaaks) to be what I would call the offensive centerpiece heading into 2026-27.