This is pretty underwhelming
Illinois Football Recruiting Thread
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Good pickup. Absolutely need QBs on this team. He will be at least a slight upgrade from Peters IMHO. Maybe a significant upgrade.
Maybe he’s a safety net and we get someone better.
Can’t go into the Spring with just the QBs we had before Devito.
Maybe he’s a safety net and we get someone better.
Can’t go into the Spring with just the QBs we had before Devito.
RedRocksIllini
- Morrison, CO
I recall one dad in particular posting on our basketball forum. He was the absolute embodiment of class. This kind of dad might be...interesting?
Agree. DeVito is a pro-style passer who also has the leadership qualities coaches like in their QB. I believe he can also move around in the pocket and run when he needs to. Syracuse fans were largely complementary toward the guy when he announced his entry to the portal in October.
blackdog
- Champaign
If you didn't already have other posts I would have guessed you were the Dad that was mentioned
IlliniFan85
- Colorado Springs, CO
It was AJs dad.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
Dads posting on this board brings back PTSD #IDKWTI
Tommy is a great kid and a good teammate. However, he has his limitations with a bad OL and underwhelming receivers, which we had, and it looks as though your team is in the same situation. I’m hoping the best for him, but,….
I somewhat feel the same. Although as others have said, he's definitely a huge upgrade from what we had at the position after BP graduated and Art got hurt. He should at least give us a baseline competency and has some upside. Our offense won't require him to throw 35x/game, and if we can bring in a few transfers to improve our OL and maybe a WR/TE, we can hopefully be competent.
Dream scenario is we can have a punishing run game and Devito can hit some bombs over the top to keep the defense honest.
I'm interested to see how we do with the rest of the transfer portal. Doyle and the CB from Vandy would be solid gets on defense. Maybe we have a chance bc of prior relationships with our staff, but who knows. Would be positions of need.
Big Jack
- Decatur
Tyler Griffin's dad frequently joined the BB chats
I read on your boards that he also has happy feet. I'm hoping the staff can bring in a tackle, maybe a center and a guard. I have more confidence in Bielema than Babers for bringing in offensive lineman. TDV may have shortcomings, but you haven't seen our quarterback play the last couple of years. He still appears to be an upgrade.
I think our receiver situation is not as dire as some others think, who might have forgotten a competent receiver who redshirt this year and a freshman coming in who can get playing time. A solid transfer wouldn't hurt, of course.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
OL and WR could very well still be a problem for the 22 team but the transfer portal will make me wait and see who the staff brings in to fill gaps. Regardless of plug-and-play starts on the offensive line, they are likely to have some growing pains early in the season because everyone will be a new starter besides Pearl and/or will have to adjust to new teammates. WR is a different story. Williams is a future pro. Ford is a future pro but needs to prove being a pass catcher and not just an in-line blocker. Washington is solid but might be a better fit as a #3. There's enough to work with there, plus they could bring in a transfer as a potential starter to make it a strength.
When Tommy gets pressure he folds. Won’t throw the ball away or step up in the pocket. It was truly frustrating. Just a sniff of pressure he panics
aiwpfan
- Springfield, Il
I think Christian DiLauro's dad posted here, too
Yikes. Well, I'm just going to hope that another year of maturity and some other coaches saying the same thing will cause a change.
Of course, none of this means Illinois can't bring in another QB, right? Right?
It's Herbie Hancock
We recruit players who have good dads.
I believe Podz dad post not in the BB threads as well. AJ's dad was great.We recruit players who have good dads.
I agree…2-3 transfer Olinemen should help with competition and depth if nothing else. Looking at Rivals database for the 2023 class of Illinois high school football players, I’ve never seen so many huge kids all over the state listed. Don’t know how many are Division One prospects, but there must be 25-30 kids instate that look the part.
TheFlyingIllini1317
- Chicago, IL
He can get us to a bowl next year, I'll take it.
If he does, he came to the right place. This board can be pretty toxic!
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
Excellent observation here. I've done a little research online and I tend to agree with you. He should still have two years of eligibility..........a very pleasant surprise!
Hoping to soon see this confirmed by BB and staff.
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