I'm a big believer in good HC's can make the right final decisions but the best HC's evaluate staff and players and know which guys they can trust or mold them into guys they can trust and delegate as needed while stepping in when it's necessary. Seems like a page tight out of Beliche's handbook.
Illinois Football Recruiting Thread
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I'm a big believer in good HC's can make the right final decisions but the best HC's evaluate staff and players and know which guys they can trust or mold them into guys they can trust and delegate as needed while stepping in when it's necessary. Seems like a page tight out of Beliche's handbook.
Definitely looks like this class is an improvement, and I'm very encouraged by what I saw the team do on the field this year under BB. Things trending in the right direction. I will note, this is now the 2nd class in a row in which we are the only Big Ten school not to land a single 4-star. I would really like to see us not have that distinction three years in a row.
I hear you but think some on here are putting to much of an emphasis on 4 star recruits. Illinois literally just got twenty-two 3 star recruits in this class. Recruiting is the start than comes developing and keeping your talent from transferring. No proof it will happen but I am pretty sure BB will develop some of those guys into 4 star players.
Transfer portal has and will continue to be loaded with former 3 and 4 star players each year coming out of high school for whatever reason they enter the portal. BB just needs to keep doing what he is doing by reaching out to a ton of guys and in state guys and never know when someone will knock on the door the next year or two because he and the program reached out in the past. It goes both ways but transfer CJ Hart looked better than a 3 star while he was on the field, be intrigued to see Alec Bryant since he was denied waiver last year, etc. Definitely have more to replace/upgrade on the offensive side.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
I would pay a nice chunk of change to know the real story on why Lovie fired Sternquist after that first class.
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Definitely agree here. Gotta get the Jimmies and the Joes. Although Davito was a 4 star high school recruit if I'm not mistaken so that's somethin'.....not that that makes us feel any better, but just sayin'. LOL
I see this is according to Rivals. Seems like they are second to 247 in most reputable rankings nowadays. Over half the Big Ten did not get a 4-star according to 247.
I got my info from 247. What 247 are you looking at?
2022 Recruit Big-Ten Football Team Rankings
In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.
247sports.com
He played real well in a system not focused on running the qb. Considering how early we took him I assume he was very close to if not the top of the qb wish list
I may be way off base here but the last couple of years with Covid have caused some pretty ragged high school football seasons. I'm not sure any of the sources have had a chance to truly rate the thousands of h.s football players out there. It's very possible some of the 3* players may actually be 4 or 5 * Just a thought.
Maybe, but his credentials are boosted by the legendary performance of his seed
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Gonna disagree here.
BU built his staff with one purpose in mind: to get him players. And they did, immediately. By this point they'd won the Mark Smith and Ayo recruitments and were soon to land Kofi as well. Basketball is different than football, those player gets are impactful in a way no individual football player is.
And then on the court BU's first season was a tip-to-tail unmitigated catastrophe in which he and his staff comprehensively failed on every level in their first exposure to Big Ten basketball, with no excuse whatsoever. The success since will leave history to paper that over, but that's the truth. They crashed, picked up the pieces, and began to figure things out.
Bielema's first season has thankfully been much more successful, and has been much more about laying foundation for a longer-term plan.
The two don't have to be the same. Basketball is different than football inherently, and Illinois occupies quite different positions in the two sports.
What BU and BB have in common is they're both real deal college coaches comfortable at this level, executing strategies which are well thought out and well suited to their respective programs. I don't think we've been in this good of shape coaching wise since Mackovic and Henson, themselves quite different people with different program building strategies.
History has a cruel way of shoving statements like that down our throats, especially in football, and there's a negative spin on the situation folks are understandably loathe to express. But we're trying, and we're doing it in a way that makes sense, and by god it's been a long time since we could say that.
You are correct. I have no idea what I was looking at!I got my info from 247. What 247 are you looking at?
2022 Recruit Big-Ten Football Team Rankings
In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
That's fine, it was more a musing...a question....than it was a statement.
As for the second bolded.....you either don't understand what "unmitigated catastrophe" means....or you are ignoring it to be provoking?
Here...let me help.
Unmitigated:
absolute; unqualified.
"the tour had been an unmitigated disaster"
adjective
catastrophe: : a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter overthrow or ruin
Now...I'll step back and allow you to correct your obviously ridiculous interpretation of BU's first year so as not to completely hijack this thread...but here's a hint on where to start: Ayo Dosunmu committed to Illinois and we almost beat #3 Gonzaga in the fourth game of his tenure.
There's more...but that alone completely blows your hyperbole away.
Now the last paragraph is more indicative of where my mind was wandering with the comparison....so really you could have just responded without the shade for BU.
Gibson City, Melvin and Sibley. 3 towns that consolidated. Gibson City itself has like 3500 people.
Epsilon
M tipping over
- Pdx
Makes more sense. TY!
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
A correction....you did say "on court"....so the Ayo reference doesn't apply. Sorry, retracted.
So around 4000 combined?
I know someone corrected you that it is 3 towns and one school.
They all consolidated in 1993. Gibson City is 3500 on a Covid baby boom year at best and Melvin and Sibley are probably not pushing 750 people together.
I think you are talking about the article back in July when Aiden Laughery committed to Illinois. GCMS has had 3 players in the past 4 years commit to Illinois even if walk-on's. RB McNutt transferred out and went to University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Bryce Barnes actually received a scholarship a few months back and Laughery is officially joining the gang and the most talented.
Some coaches are great recruiters, others great motivators, others X&O guys, some build killer staffs and some are great with alumni. Rare is the guy who is strong in all areas.
In my 40 years following Illini sports, Mike White is tops overall in football and Bill Self in basketball. I’d rank the current coaches each #2, both with the potential to ascend to the top if they achieve success.
In my 40 years following Illini sports, Mike White is tops overall in football and Bill Self in basketball. I’d rank the current coaches each #2, both with the potential to ascend to the top if they achieve success.
Illinois has made some real good hires in basketball over the years. I will agree BU can ascend the list but I don't have him that high at all.
Football coaches on the other hand is a different story. BB could go down as the best Illinois football coach in my lifetime. White was good, but shows how weak of a team we have had for so many years. Sigh
Pretty much. Also couple even smaller towns plus country. Maybe 4500ish.
Not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but here is coach breaking down each recruit from the class on film. Don’t recall this ever being done by other IL coaches, but I love it. Can really get a sense BB knows what he’s looking for and has a solid plan of action.
Edit: looks like Dan posted it on pg 5. My bad.
Edit: looks like Dan posted it on pg 5. My bad.
illini80
- Forgottonia
WDWS sports guys were talking about it. No one had ever seen a coach do that before. One more reason to like BB.
And Illinois used to be a football school
I agree. A lot of huge linemen especially… should be able to get all you need in state next year.
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