Hopefully a tight receiverMore like a light end.
AMIRITE?? #HIGHFIVE
Good news!
Prater and Thomison are very, very shaky options imho (they weren't starters in the MAC and CUSA), so I tend to suspect Davis has a good shot to move up the rotation along with Connor Sullivan.
I'm not sure how the rotation will be different in the 3-3-5, but in recent years we've been aggressive about rotating bodies to a sometimes comical degree. Encouraging to see us get a little closer to the ability to do that.
Still way worse than last year and the weakest position group on the team, but depth of bodies is the resource you need to stave off disaster.
If Prater is better than Carter Janki and that's all we've got in that NT spot, we are going to be in a lot of trouble.Reports do have Darrel Prater looking good in Spring practice . . .
"Transfer defensive lineman Darrell Prater worked his way into the No. 1 role at nose tackle by the end of spring practice, giving Illinois a needed anchor as it rebuilds the front."
https://www.on3.com/sites/orange-blue-news/news/spring-football-recap-top-five-illini-newcomers-for-2026/
Sorry, don't think any of this is funny.Not sure where to put this as it's not Specifically Illini related. However, given our painful Cliffmas past thought this triple hat fake may give some of you a chuckle.
I'm happy we're getting solid players to commit.When people were pointing out that recruiting had not been going well to that point? Yes
Have things improved? Yes
Are things as good as last year's recruiting class? Still, no
Also, folks were really measured in their comments. No one was hysterical, no one claimed folks needed to be fired.
I also played OL at Morton (80’s) Happy to see a fellow Potter play for my Illini.
Illinois is waiting on 2-3 defensive lineman to graduate from their respective colleges. This is the same situation Zachari Franklin-WR was in a few years ago. He wasnt announced until June. He was a silent commit. Illini nation be patient.
Konkey, Roberts, Johnson, Woods, Sakalas
would be great to land Kasky too
a guy can dream, right? thing is, I think we're gonna get the first five
If Prater is better than Carter Janki and that's all we've got in that NT spot, we are going to be in a lot of trouble.
Prater started 3 of the 14 games he played in as a fourth year junior for the SP+ 102nd rated defense at Jacksonville State last year. When he committed to that school it was in FCS and he never became a full time starter there.
We were sending higher level players than that in waves the last two years.
There's no sugarcoating what it means for a football team when your opponent can blow the DL off the ball and have free rein into the second level on every snap. It can just submarine everything, we've seen that here in the past.
Graduates are subject to the same portal timing as everybody else now, right?Illinois is waiting on 2-3 defensive lineman to graduate from their respective colleges. This is the same situation Zachari Franklin-WR was in a few years ago. He wasnt announced until June. He was a silent commit. Illini nation be patient.
Sullivan got on the field at Wazzu as a true freshman and is rapidly adding weight. His upside looks different than someone who's been in college four years.Also Sullivan played like 5 snaps last year. If he’s in the rotation we are in trouble.
He had great size which that staff really knew how to use and wasn't exactly a star on a defense that declined. But that's a fair enough point as someone who was more productive in the Big Ten than he had been in the MAC.Denzel Daxon didn’t start at Ohio and played really good here. But Jamo was good at developing NT
That would be great, he was a good recruit and is our biggest body. I was just reacting to the list Werner gave which he wasn't on.Think you're underselling White right here. Scheme change yes, but he's plenty talented, great size at 315-330 and has a relentless motor.
Bricson Thrower? Good thing Underwood isn't after him
Graduates are subject to the same portal timing as everybody else now, right?
Sullivan got on the field at Wazzu as a true freshman and is rapidly adding weight. His upside looks different than someone who's been in college four years.
He had great size which that staff really knew how to use and wasn't exactly a star on a defense that declined. But that's a fair enough point as someone who was more productive in the Big Ten than he had been in the MAC.
That would be great, he was a good recruit and is our biggest body. I was just reacting to the list Werner gave which he wasn't on.
Bricson Thrower? Good thing Underwood isn't after him
A visit 6 days after his commitment? That seems odd
A visit 6 days after his commitment? That seems odd