This one hurt me. I wanted to see him more.
Illinois Football Recruiting Thread
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Same here. Really nice player. Loved his motor and with 2 years left it’s a great pick up for MSU
Well as of now, we needed to upgrade the DL (front 7 really) in a big way based on this past season. We've lost a few pieces that seemed like they may stay and develop, and haven't brought in much to offset that or add to what we needed in the first place. Seen a few targets enter the portal and end up at other P4 schools. So I get the panic. Lots of holes exist at the moment. Let's hope we get some big booms soon lol.
They all did as some point
I’ll start with the “sky is falling” comments!
I trust in Bret don’t get me wrong, just curious what someone with more knowledge believes our portal game plan is? Will the guys we’re currently getting play bigger roles than what I’m seeing on paper or are we waiting on quite a few big fish still?
I trust in Bret don’t get me wrong, just curious what someone with more knowledge believes our portal game plan is? Will the guys we’re currently getting play bigger roles than what I’m seeing on paper or are we waiting on quite a few big fish still?
Since 247's rankings have gotten plenty of play on the "We're Blowing It" side of the ball, here are the On3 Rankings which seem to offer a bit of a different view so far (players in Italics not yet committed to another program):
QB:
In: Houser - 89; Smith - 85
Out: Hampton - 86; Petty - 86
WR:
In: Perry - 88; Platt - 86; Robinson - 84
Out: Elzy - 87; Bowick - 86; Sanders - 86; Griffin - 86; Hollins - 84
TE:
In: None
Out: Rusk - 88; Furtney - 81
OL:
In: Renfro - 89; Martin - 86; Sullivan - 83
Out: McMillan - 87; Francis - 82; Leonard - 81
DL:
In: Janki - 86;
Out: Durojaye - 88; Neal - 88; McCollum - 87; Coenen - 86; Warren - 85
EDGE:
In: Holmes - 86
Out: Ngassa - 81
LB:
In: Edmonson - 87;
Out: Hayden - 87; Hood - 86; Baker - 84;
CB:
In: Fillmore - 88; Williams - 87
Out: Karriem - 87;
S:
In: None
Out: Patterson - 86; Woodward - 85; Rooks - 84; Reynolds - 84; Turner - 81
Not saying these rankings are necessarily better, just that the wide variance shows that this isn't a science, and looking at it these rankings obviously we have some work to do on the D-Line but the subtractions do not look nearly as alarming in these rankings as they do in 247.
QB:
In: Houser - 89; Smith - 85
Out: Hampton - 86; Petty - 86
WR:
In: Perry - 88; Platt - 86; Robinson - 84
Out: Elzy - 87; Bowick - 86; Sanders - 86; Griffin - 86; Hollins - 84
TE:
In: None
Out: Rusk - 88; Furtney - 81
OL:
In: Renfro - 89; Martin - 86; Sullivan - 83
Out: McMillan - 87; Francis - 82; Leonard - 81
DL:
In: Janki - 86;
Out: Durojaye - 88; Neal - 88; McCollum - 87; Coenen - 86; Warren - 85
EDGE:
In: Holmes - 86
Out: Ngassa - 81
LB:
In: Edmonson - 87;
Out: Hayden - 87; Hood - 86; Baker - 84;
CB:
In: Fillmore - 88; Williams - 87
Out: Karriem - 87;
S:
In: None
Out: Patterson - 86; Woodward - 85; Rooks - 84; Reynolds - 84; Turner - 81
Not saying these rankings are necessarily better, just that the wide variance shows that this isn't a science, and looking at it these rankings obviously we have some work to do on the D-Line but the subtractions do not look nearly as alarming in these rankings as they do in 247.
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Good we’ll finally be able to beat Oregon
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We need to get some defensive studs in or we will be a .500 or worst team next year, especially if we are keep AH.. which would be the worst move ( or lack of move) in the a long while
If he committed here you would be crying that he was a G5 player
How do you even know if he's good? 247 hasn't rated him yet, and those ratings/rankings are what matters right?
(FWIW On3 has him as an 81)
Ex 4 star no doubt starting DLs are in extremely short supply and the market for any that come available will be very strong. Not sure if we can get one of those without winning a very big bidding war. Serviceable DTs who aren't in the national spotlight or taking a flier on a young DT with potential seems more likely.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Oh there's no question we have several additional players to add in the defensive front seven (3 DL, 1 OLB, 1 LB maybe?). The bodies will be there, have no worries about that. We have roster room, we have money to spend, there will be additions. A Bret Bielema team never has and never will be short of large humans when fully compiled.
The question is how well are those additions going to play, which feeds into the meta question of whether when we make those deals do they look like a better or worse use of resources than paying the freight to retain some of the guys who have left instead.
Dick Butkus has entered the conversation.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
This is where I am at. I haven't plugged into as many of the names in the portal but until Bret & Co prove otherwise, I'm just gonna assume he knows what he is doing & what needs to be done to keep the train on the tracks. I think his performance thus far has more than earned him some trust from the fanbase.
Of course we are all a bit jaded & cynical so it's easy to go to those dark places. I mean we do root for Illinois football so we don't have a lot of greatness to rest our hat on. I just have a lot of confidence in Bret.
Feel like he was only scratching the surface. The fact that there have been so many Illini transfers who are going to other very good programs is a good indicator of the talent evaluation.
Let me say this one more time. Let's get Grat and Hastrop from Oregon. They could turn both into 1st/early rounders.
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
Ugh. That is not a good direction. Don't you see where that trend is heading????
10-3 2024
9-4 2025
8-5 2026
7-6 2027
6-7 2028 (where's the Zooker?)
Some transfers just don't pan out.
Kevin Wigenton II? An OL player Illini got in the 2024 portal after 3 years at Michigan state.
Big dude, 6' 5" 335 lbs., looked promising. He had started 6 games as a Junior for MSU.
As a senior for the Illini, he played in 3 games but never started. He moved on to Virginia where he started 3 games as a grad transfer.
Terrance Brooks, a cornerback from Texas came to the Illini in the same 2024 portal year. 3 starts as a freshman and 13 starts as a sophomore at Texas. Honorable Mention Big 12 player for his second year efforts.
As a Junior for the Illini, he played in 7 games but never started. He left after his Junior year.
Some Illini players who portal out may end up with a similar playing career. They look promising, but . . .
I'm glad though they can make some money now in their college playing days.
I'd like to see consistent 7-, 8-or 9-win regular seasons for Illinois football. Beyond that, with the portal, players may come and go. I just need to get used to it.
Kevin Wigenton II? An OL player Illini got in the 2024 portal after 3 years at Michigan state.
Big dude, 6' 5" 335 lbs., looked promising. He had started 6 games as a Junior for MSU.
As a senior for the Illini, he played in 3 games but never started. He moved on to Virginia where he started 3 games as a grad transfer.
Terrance Brooks, a cornerback from Texas came to the Illini in the same 2024 portal year. 3 starts as a freshman and 13 starts as a sophomore at Texas. Honorable Mention Big 12 player for his second year efforts.
As a Junior for the Illini, he played in 7 games but never started. He left after his Junior year.
Some Illini players who portal out may end up with a similar playing career. They look promising, but . . .
I'm glad though they can make some money now in their college playing days.
I'd like to see consistent 7-, 8-or 9-win regular seasons for Illinois football. Beyond that, with the portal, players may come and go. I just need to get used to it.
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redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- Batavia
If only the coaching staff understood what we knew about the need at D line…
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