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LGHL B1G Thoughts: Five offseason questions for Illinois
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B1G Thoughts: Five offseason questions for Illinois
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Illinois shocked a lot of people in 2022. This spring is pivotal if they hope to build on that and compete for the West Division.
The 2022 season has come to an end. It was a great season that leaves many questions to be answered as we enter the 2023 offseason. Michigan won the Big Ten for the second year in a row, taking the crown from Ohio State.
Ohio State enters the new year a field goal away from a national championship appearance, but now has to replace C.J. Stroud. Will this be the first time in almost a decade that the best quarterback in the conference doesn’t wear scarlet and grey?
Nebraska, Purdue, and Wisconsin enter 2023 with new coaches while Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Indiana’s Tom Allen enter on the hot seat. Penn State has high expectations, Illinois will try to rebound from a late-season collapse, and Minnesota is trying to replace four of the best players in program history.
This is the final offseason before USC and UCLA enter the conference and the new TV deal starts. Teams must build a foundation that will last in the ever-changing landscape of college football. The 2023 offseason is essential for every team, so let’s dive in and see which five questions each team must answer before the 2023 season begins.
What does the defense look like under new defensive coordinator Aaron Henry?
In 2022 Illinois had the No. 4 defensive in the country in stop rate. On 146 drives, they stopped the opposing offense 76.7% of the time and only allowed 1.10 points per drive. By all standards, they were an elite defense under former defensive coordinator Ryan Walters. Walters turned this success into the head coaching job at Purdue after spending two years with Bret Bielema at Illinois. To replace Walters, Bielema tabbed former player Aaron Henry, who has some big shoes to fill.
Henry served as the defensive backs coach under Walters the past two seasons, taking their passing defense from No. 69 the year before he accepted the job to No. 9 in year two. Henry also coached future first-round pick, Devon Witherspoon. In 2022 three of Henry’s starting secondary were awarded all-Big Ten honors, with Witherspoon and Sydney Brown being voted first team and Jartavious Martin on the third team.
Going from a position coach to a coordinator is a big jump, but Henry seems to be a rising coach in the field. This spring will be huge if they hope to replicate some of their defensive success from 2022.
Who steps up to replace Chase Brown?
Chase Brown has been one of the best running backs in the Big Ten for the past two seasons, accumulating 2,648 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground with three receiving touchdowns in 2022. Brown was a true workhorse for the Fighting Illini who had the ability to take over a game at any moment or put a game away with four-yard carries in stacked boxes.
With a new quarterback in 2023, Bret Bielema must find a replacement. The replacement is probably already on the roster if he can stay healthy. As a freshman, Josh McCray ran for 549 yards and two touchdowns as Browns backup in 2021, but he got injured early in 2022 and missed most of the season. McCray will enter spring as the top running back on the roster, but he must first get healthy.
Replacing Brown will most likely be running back by committee, but having a healthy McCray will go a long way to gaining some of that production back in 2023.
How do they replace key defensive starters, including Devon Witherspoon?
Not only are they replacing defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, but they must also replace cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safeties Sydney brown and Jartavious Martin. Those are some major holes to fill, whether the players are already on the roster or if they need to reach into the transfer portal must be answered this spring.
Illinois’ defense kept them in a lot of games last season. They may be able to handle a slight drop-off, but anything major and they may struggle to reach a bowl game. Luckily for the Illini, their new defensive coordinator coached this room and should know better than anyone what he has on the roster.
Who is the starting quarterback?
Illinois had some success last season with Tommy DeVito at quarterback, but unfortunately, Devito was denied a waiver for an extra season, so they must find a new starting quarterback. After the season, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. went into the portal for Luke Altmyer from Ole Miss and John Paddock from Ball State.
Altmyer, a former four-star quarterback, is the projected starter. Still, he does not have any starting experience after losing the competition at Ole Miss. If Altmyer wins the job, they will have their starting quarterback for the next two or three seasons, but he can not be handed the job. Without Chase Brown, Illinois may need more from its quarterback than it has the past two seasons, so this is a critical design they can not afford to take lightly.
Can they develop competitive stamina and learn to win?
Illinois surprised a lot of people in 2022 by going 8-5, with a 5-4 mark in the conference, and making a bowl game. Their 2022 season should be viewed as a success, but I’m sure there is some disappointment in the building with how their season ended. After losing to Indiana due to a terrible call that took away a touchdown, Illinois went on a six-game win streak, including wins over Minnesota and Iowa. At 7-1, they were the favorites to win the West Division, but lost three straight games — two of which they were favored to win.
One of the hardest parts of rebuilding a program is teaching them how to win and maintain a high level of play. The college football season is long, and when you’re having a good season, you’re going to get everyone’s best shot. Illinois crumbled when they had the target on their back and lost the division title in a tough three-game stretch.
This spring, they should use that as motivation, focus on competitive stamina and work on maintaining a high level of play throughout the long season. That starts now. Their ceiling has been raised, and they have to raise their standard to maintain their new expectations.
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Illinois shocked a lot of people in 2022. This spring is pivotal if they hope to build on that and compete for the West Division.
The 2022 season has come to an end. It was a great season that leaves many questions to be answered as we enter the 2023 offseason. Michigan won the Big Ten for the second year in a row, taking the crown from Ohio State.
Ohio State enters the new year a field goal away from a national championship appearance, but now has to replace C.J. Stroud. Will this be the first time in almost a decade that the best quarterback in the conference doesn’t wear scarlet and grey?
Nebraska, Purdue, and Wisconsin enter 2023 with new coaches while Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald and Indiana’s Tom Allen enter on the hot seat. Penn State has high expectations, Illinois will try to rebound from a late-season collapse, and Minnesota is trying to replace four of the best players in program history.
This is the final offseason before USC and UCLA enter the conference and the new TV deal starts. Teams must build a foundation that will last in the ever-changing landscape of college football. The 2023 offseason is essential for every team, so let’s dive in and see which five questions each team must answer before the 2023 season begins.
What does the defense look like under new defensive coordinator Aaron Henry?
In 2022 Illinois had the No. 4 defensive in the country in stop rate. On 146 drives, they stopped the opposing offense 76.7% of the time and only allowed 1.10 points per drive. By all standards, they were an elite defense under former defensive coordinator Ryan Walters. Walters turned this success into the head coaching job at Purdue after spending two years with Bret Bielema at Illinois. To replace Walters, Bielema tabbed former player Aaron Henry, who has some big shoes to fill.
Henry served as the defensive backs coach under Walters the past two seasons, taking their passing defense from No. 69 the year before he accepted the job to No. 9 in year two. Henry also coached future first-round pick, Devon Witherspoon. In 2022 three of Henry’s starting secondary were awarded all-Big Ten honors, with Witherspoon and Sydney Brown being voted first team and Jartavious Martin on the third team.
Going from a position coach to a coordinator is a big jump, but Henry seems to be a rising coach in the field. This spring will be huge if they hope to replicate some of their defensive success from 2022.
Who steps up to replace Chase Brown?
Chase Brown has been one of the best running backs in the Big Ten for the past two seasons, accumulating 2,648 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground with three receiving touchdowns in 2022. Brown was a true workhorse for the Fighting Illini who had the ability to take over a game at any moment or put a game away with four-yard carries in stacked boxes.
With a new quarterback in 2023, Bret Bielema must find a replacement. The replacement is probably already on the roster if he can stay healthy. As a freshman, Josh McCray ran for 549 yards and two touchdowns as Browns backup in 2021, but he got injured early in 2022 and missed most of the season. McCray will enter spring as the top running back on the roster, but he must first get healthy.
Replacing Brown will most likely be running back by committee, but having a healthy McCray will go a long way to gaining some of that production back in 2023.
How do they replace key defensive starters, including Devon Witherspoon?
Not only are they replacing defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, but they must also replace cornerback Devon Witherspoon and safeties Sydney brown and Jartavious Martin. Those are some major holes to fill, whether the players are already on the roster or if they need to reach into the transfer portal must be answered this spring.
Illinois’ defense kept them in a lot of games last season. They may be able to handle a slight drop-off, but anything major and they may struggle to reach a bowl game. Luckily for the Illini, their new defensive coordinator coached this room and should know better than anyone what he has on the roster.
Who is the starting quarterback?
Illinois had some success last season with Tommy DeVito at quarterback, but unfortunately, Devito was denied a waiver for an extra season, so they must find a new starting quarterback. After the season, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. went into the portal for Luke Altmyer from Ole Miss and John Paddock from Ball State.
Altmyer, a former four-star quarterback, is the projected starter. Still, he does not have any starting experience after losing the competition at Ole Miss. If Altmyer wins the job, they will have their starting quarterback for the next two or three seasons, but he can not be handed the job. Without Chase Brown, Illinois may need more from its quarterback than it has the past two seasons, so this is a critical design they can not afford to take lightly.
Can they develop competitive stamina and learn to win?
Illinois surprised a lot of people in 2022 by going 8-5, with a 5-4 mark in the conference, and making a bowl game. Their 2022 season should be viewed as a success, but I’m sure there is some disappointment in the building with how their season ended. After losing to Indiana due to a terrible call that took away a touchdown, Illinois went on a six-game win streak, including wins over Minnesota and Iowa. At 7-1, they were the favorites to win the West Division, but lost three straight games — two of which they were favored to win.
One of the hardest parts of rebuilding a program is teaching them how to win and maintain a high level of play. The college football season is long, and when you’re having a good season, you’re going to get everyone’s best shot. Illinois crumbled when they had the target on their back and lost the division title in a tough three-game stretch.
This spring, they should use that as motivation, focus on competitive stamina and work on maintaining a high level of play throughout the long season. That starts now. Their ceiling has been raised, and they have to raise their standard to maintain their new expectations.
Continue reading...
Brandyn Hillman (DB ttun)
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Churchland (Portsmouth, VA)
Ht: 6'1"
Wt: 191 lbs
Class: 2023 (High School)
www.elevenwarriors.com
Ohio State appeared all but done recruiting the class of 2023 since National Signing Day came and went.
As it turns out, maybe not.
After signing 20 high school prospects and adding five transfers, the Buckeyes have their eyes on adding another scholarship player to next year’s roster: Four-star Virginia safety Brandyn Hillman, a former Notre Dame signee.
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Rivals Profile
On3 Profile
HUDL Highlights
Churchland (Portsmouth, VA)
Ht: 6'1"
Wt: 191 lbs
Class: 2023 (High School)
The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Offers Former Notre Dame 2023 Safety Signee Brandyn Hillman, Zabien Brown and Marcelles Williams Put OSU in Their Top Schools and Kobe Black Will Visit Columbus
Ohio State may add to its 2023 class after offering former Notre Dame safety signee Brandyn Hillman, and Zabien Brown and Marcelles Williams put OSU in their top schools.
Ohio State appeared all but done recruiting the class of 2023 since National Signing Day came and went.
As it turns out, maybe not.
After signing 20 high school prospects and adding five transfers, the Buckeyes have their eyes on adding another scholarship player to next year’s roster: Four-star Virginia safety Brandyn Hillman, a former Notre Dame signee.
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LGHL Ohio State offers 2023 safety, former Notre Dame commit
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Ohio State offers 2023 safety, former Notre Dame commit
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2023 four-star safety Brandyn Hillman via Brandon Huffman, 247Sports
Ohio State isn’t quite done with its 2023 class, as it offered a former Notre Dame safety commit on Monday.
Ohio State wrapped up its 2023 recruiting class a long time ago. National Signing Day was last month, but the Buckeyes didn’t see any fireworks as their entire class was signed during the early signing period. Because of this, it appeared that Ohio State was finished with recruiting the 2023 class, but this was not the case.
On Monday, Ohio State offered 2023 four-star safety and former Notre Dame signee, Brandyn Hillman (Portsmouth, VA / Churchland), after he was granted his release of his letter of intent with the Irish on Sunday.
Hillman quickly became a hot-topic, as he received a handful of scholarship offers just 24 hours after his release was granted. His list of offers includes plenty of the nation’s top college football programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, LSU, Louisville, Virginia, Virginia Tech and UConn. This is on top of the offers he received prior to his release from programs like USC, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia.
Not much else is known regarding Hillman’s recruitment, other than that he has an impressive list of suitors. Expect the blue-chip safety to schedule some official visits soon and these visits will be telling in the direction his recruitment will go. Ohio State will do its best to obtain one of those visits.
Hillman is the No. 214 prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 5 recruit from Virginia.
The Ohio State football program is in the middle of spring break and hopefully the coaching staff and the players will find time to relax before spring practices resume. However, the staff will likely use this time off to build upon its 2024 recruiting class.
The staff has put in a lot of hard work, already holding verbal commitments from four recruits, good enough for the No. 14 class. The Buckeyes will obviously continue to add to this haul and this past weekend they learned the program moved one step closer to securing a commitment from another blue-chip prospect.
2024 cornerback Zabien Brown (Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei) released his top four schools on Sunday and Ohio State made the cut.
Alongside the Buckeyes, Brown included Oregon, USC and Alabama in his top four schools. The inclusion of Ohio State on his list is telling as the Buckeyes were late players in his recruitment, only offering him on Jan. 17.
Expect Brown to try and visit Ohio State at least once in the coming months for a spring practice or for one of its summer camps. If he finds his way to campus, Ohio State will likely remain a legitimate contender for earning his commitment for the remainder of his recruiting process.
Brown is the No. 73 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 8 CB. He is also the No. 10 prospect out of California.
Ohio State was listed on Brown’s top school list Sunday, and on Monday the team followed it up by being included in 2024 four-star tight end Brady Prieskorn’s (Rochester, MI / Adams) top eight schools.
Alongside Ohio State, Prieskorn included Michigan, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Penn State, Georgia and Miami on his list.
Priesken enjoyed a successful junior season, being named First Team All-State after posting 24 catches for 648 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the No. 59 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 3 TE. He is also the No. 2 recruit from Michigan.
Continue reading...
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2023 four-star safety Brandyn Hillman via Brandon Huffman, 247Sports
Ohio State isn’t quite done with its 2023 class, as it offered a former Notre Dame safety commit on Monday.
Ohio State wrapped up its 2023 recruiting class a long time ago. National Signing Day was last month, but the Buckeyes didn’t see any fireworks as their entire class was signed during the early signing period. Because of this, it appeared that Ohio State was finished with recruiting the 2023 class, but this was not the case.
On Monday, Ohio State offered 2023 four-star safety and former Notre Dame signee, Brandyn Hillman (Portsmouth, VA / Churchland), after he was granted his release of his letter of intent with the Irish on Sunday.
️hio State Offered @Coach_Eliano @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/PR8IjXI61g
— Brandyn Hillman (@dmv_b3) March 13, 2023
Hillman quickly became a hot-topic, as he received a handful of scholarship offers just 24 hours after his release was granted. His list of offers includes plenty of the nation’s top college football programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, LSU, Louisville, Virginia, Virginia Tech and UConn. This is on top of the offers he received prior to his release from programs like USC, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia.
Not much else is known regarding Hillman’s recruitment, other than that he has an impressive list of suitors. Expect the blue-chip safety to schedule some official visits soon and these visits will be telling in the direction his recruitment will go. Ohio State will do its best to obtain one of those visits.
Hillman is the No. 214 prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 5 recruit from Virginia.
2024 CB has Ohio State in top four
The Ohio State football program is in the middle of spring break and hopefully the coaching staff and the players will find time to relax before spring practices resume. However, the staff will likely use this time off to build upon its 2024 recruiting class.
The staff has put in a lot of hard work, already holding verbal commitments from four recruits, good enough for the No. 14 class. The Buckeyes will obviously continue to add to this haul and this past weekend they learned the program moved one step closer to securing a commitment from another blue-chip prospect.
2024 cornerback Zabien Brown (Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei) released his top four schools on Sunday and Ohio State made the cut.
Alongside the Buckeyes, Brown included Oregon, USC and Alabama in his top four schools. The inclusion of Ohio State on his list is telling as the Buckeyes were late players in his recruitment, only offering him on Jan. 17.
Expect Brown to try and visit Ohio State at least once in the coming months for a spring practice or for one of its summer camps. If he finds his way to campus, Ohio State will likely remain a legitimate contender for earning his commitment for the remainder of his recruiting process.
Brown is the No. 73 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 8 CB. He is also the No. 10 prospect out of California.
Four-star TE has Ohio State in top schools
Ohio State was listed on Brown’s top school list Sunday, and on Monday the team followed it up by being included in 2024 four-star tight end Brady Prieskorn’s (Rochester, MI / Adams) top eight schools.
BREAKING: Four-Star TE Brady Prieskorn is down toSchools!
The 6’6 230 TE from Rochester, MI is ranked as a Top 70 Player in the ‘24 Class (No. 4 TE)
Where Should He Go? https://t.co/G4ywSMoUS2 pic.twitter.com/j4PPLr5qgv
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 13, 2023
Alongside Ohio State, Prieskorn included Michigan, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Penn State, Georgia and Miami on his list.
Priesken enjoyed a successful junior season, being named First Team All-State after posting 24 catches for 648 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the No. 59 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 3 TE. He is also the No. 2 recruit from Michigan.
Continue reading...