Illinois Fighting Illini (you'll see)

[The Zooker]

I love that thing. Pretty sweet ride. Fits four in the back...two if they're fat.

 

[ol104]

I can understand why there is such a shit storm about Illinios class...main reason being is that it is Illinios and they are a joke as a program (2-14 says it ALL). Frankly i think there class is overrated. In my opinion they only have 4-5 guys that OSU would have even thought about offereing (and did offer). Those guys are Brent (offer), Wilson (offer), Benn (offer), McCrary (no offer). One of their better recruits , Daryle Ballew (DT) is from Ohio and at a position of need and the Bucks never even gave him a sniff, the same goes for the rest of their Ohio guys like Matas and Robertson. The only other UI recruit who the Bucks had interest in was Brian Gamble, but his academics basically ended any Buckeye dreams he may have had (we all know about UI's academics dont we Jeff Cumberland). The pundits who rank their class ahead of OSU are simply crazy and basing that on only 4 players. The funny thing is that OSU has star talents such as Clifford, Saine, Heyward (rated above Brent), and James Scott who can compare with UI's but the remaining quality of our other prospects is greater than the other kids UI brought in...

Here is the killer point, Wilson, Brent, Benn, and McCrary are the ONLY kids OSU would have offered and signed out of UI's class, while i am positive UI would have gladly taken EVERY member of OSU's incoming class

 

[osugrad21]

ESPN

Innuendo is currency in today's recruiting world

By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com
Archive



Ron Zook cheats. That's what someone somewhere is saying about the Illinois football coach. Maybe they're not using that exact word, but whatever they're saying, it was enough to cause Zook to make the 137-mile trip from Champaign to downtown Chicago last week for a one-day "I Am Not A Crook" tour.

AP Photo/Seth Perlman
Ron Zook is known as a tireless recruiting. His teams at Illinois, however, have struggled.


It was an aggressive, hyper-intense gesture by an aggressive, hyper-intense guy who can't afford to lose the talent-rich Chicagoland recruiting market. Then again, not too much is at stake, only his reputation, possibly his job, perhaps an NCAA investigator flying in to kick the tires ? you know, the Tums trifecta.

First of all, Smith always has been about a quart low when it comes to common sense, so consider the source. And if he has the goods on Illinois, he should say so. Instead, he hung Zook out to dry on a national clothesline, which helped prompt the emergency PR road trip to Chicago.

At the very least, he out-BlackBerry'd them. ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported recently that Zook typed 95 million kilobytes' worth of text messages to recruits since Nov. 26. I'm surprised he has any thumbs left. The man is off-the-charts obsessive when it comes to recruiting, which is exactly why Guenther hired him.

Nobody at Illinois will come right out and say it -- at least, not publicly -- but their negative recruiting leader in the clubhouse is none other than Notre Dame, which thought it had a commitment from Benn, but then didn't.

 

[bassbuckeye07]

That article is very interesting. I was talking to a buddy of mine that lives in Norman and is an Oklahoma fan about this. This seems like a whole lot of nothing and contributes to the adolescent drama thats been out there. Another reason to be proud of Tressel and his staff it seems that they stay above this crap. One of the things I talked about with my buddy is the fact Ohio State and Oklahoma cant sell sunshine and hollywood so you know the kids that come here want to be here and understand the traditon. I like Stoops comments about how risk takers are who you build a program with and win with. Its not kids that throw a jersy on the ground and pick up another one and beat there chest. (apologies if that applies to anyone at tOSU because then it doesnt count )

 

[osugrad21]

I just find it very ironic Mike Stoops is defending the Zooker...the Gronkowski recruitment puts Stoops in the same shady region.

 

[Joe Paterno]

Who the hell needs a Blackberry? I've been using my Commodore 64 since the days of Todd Blackledge. We live on the edge in Happy Valley.

 

[bassbuckeye07]

I just find it very ironic Mike Stoops is defending the Zooker...the Gronkowski recruitment puts Stoops in the same shady region.

Just read about that.. wasnt aware. Pot meet kettle.

 

[OH10]

What is the big deal? Is anyone really surprised that Zook is recruiting well? That's why Illinois hired him. He can't coach, but he could always lure the talent. That's his thing and he's doing a good job. I say lay off the guy unless there's evidence.

 

[sandgk]

Looks like the Zooker can strike that plan of dominating the cutting edge world of Facebook and Myspace recruiting sites.
Illinois set to ban social networking sites.

Do you live in Illinois and like to access social networking sites from school or a public library? Well, you may soon be out of luck.
A new bill called "The Social Networking Web Site Prohibition Act", and would require that social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace are blocked on any computer made available to the public in a plublic library, and schools must prohibit access on any computer made available to students.

Still - he does have that nifty Zook-mobile with which to wow those kids.

 

[BB73]

si.com

First, Illinois snatches a couple of hot recruits whom Notre Dame wanted. Then it works out at St. Rita High School in the heart of the Irish's South Side turf. ''I didn't know that,'' Ron Zook said Saturday, wrinkling his nose after Illinois scrimmaged before a hearty crowd of about 2,000 at Pat Cronin Field. It's just another sign Zook is serious about putting the fight back in the Fighting Illini.
-- Chicago Sun-Times

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Zook still a busy man; Thomas signs with Saints


BY MARK TUPPER Staff Writer
[email protected]

CHAMPAIGN ? It may be four months until the season-opening Illini football game against Missouri, but there?s plenty going on in what could become known as Zookapalooza.

For instance:

RECRUITING

Most of the bountiful recruiting class coach Ron Zook signed in February won?t arrive on campus until the first week of June, but Zook is never idle when it comes to recruiting. That?s why he was in Cleveland Tuesday during a period in which he can visit with high school coaches, view game films and offer only a courtesy greeting if he just happens to bump into a prospect in the halls.

Cont...

 

[KittnertoLloyd]

Defending Zook's Honor

Both bought the negative koolaid, LJ Sr for Wallace, and Tenn for McCoy (NCAA sanctions).

It will be interesting to see if Illinois can regain the lead. They are somewhat notorious for negative recruiting.

Funny that the recruits say otherwise.

?Some of my finalists were very negative about the other schools I was looking at and only pointing out what was bad about the other schools to me,? Pocic explained. ?That really turned me off quickly because the Illinois staff always told me that all of the schools I had offers from brought something great to the table. They just told me what was good about their school and stuck to the positive side of things which really helped.?

Scout.com: Pocic Expands on Commitment

"Throughout his junior school year, Benn said he had considered Notre Dame his top choice, but when he felt as though the Fighting Irish coaching staff was putting too much pressure on him to commit he stopped considering the school. Once Benn orally committed to Illinois, Notre Dame assistant Peter Vaas continued to pepper Benn with text messages and voice mails, some of which Benn provided to The Post:
"FYI, ILL is telling Robert Hughes that they will build their offense around him? Didn't they tell you that?
Coach Vaas," Vaas wrote Benn on Dec. 17.
Earlier that month, Vaas left this voice message on Benn's phone: "You don't want to do anything except bury your head in the sand. . . . I guess you're not tough enough to compete at the big level."

When the Word Isn't Quite Final - washingtonpost.com

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

Funny that the recruits say otherwise.

You have shown ONE recruit as an example. Not exactly the best defense.

To be clear, are you saying that Illinois doesn't do that at all (and hasn't for a few years)? I'm not saying they do or don't, I'm just making sure we are clear on your stance.

 

[KittnertoLloyd]

Wilson's father, Michael Whitehead, told the Sun-Times he was shocked when a Notre Dame assistant coach got into a shouting match with a Simeon assistant at their home. The discussion centered on what Illinois football would accomplish during Wilson's time there.
"It was like we weren't even in the room," said Whitehead, who was taken aback by the argument.
- - -
So how does Zook do it?
"With Martez, he had a laid-back but aggressive approach," Simeon coach Jesse Chick said. "He makes them feel like he's one of the boys. When he's with me, he's on the same level as the other coaches. But when he gets with the kids, he makes them feel real comfortable."
That seems to be the key.
"He's just a fun coach," Wilson said. "He'll be making jokes but saying facts at the same time. He keeps it honest. And he's the same, whether I'm at the school or he's at my house."

Zook a little shook over innuendo: How Illinois coach will defend Chicago Sun-Times - Find Articles

I'm sorry but how many times is Illinois brought up in recruiting and everybody is quick to point out our record and Zook's coaching history and then accusations of cheating? Which schools are negative recruiting?

 

[sandgk]

Kittnerto .. This is not the "Defend Zook's Honor" Thread.
You may or may not have a defensible position concerning Zook, but can it please be taken to it's own thread?