Illinois Fighting Illini (you'll see)

[lopo89]

Illinois, by some virtue, had their explosion this year in the weakest year for the Big Ten in recent memory. How will they fare when the Big Ten is doing well, or even good?

Been a consistent poster over on recruitingplanet for the Illinois forum. Wadc can vouch -I hope

It was probably the best thing for Illinois that the Big 10 was "down." Gave the freshman class valuable experience while learning from the older guys and gave Illinois and chance to market itself as a winning team on the rise.

While the team may not have the same record or success as last year (we do play at Michigan, at PSU, at Wisconsin), the team depth-wise and talent-wise will be better.

These are the key contributors Illinois will lose to graduation or the NFL:

DBs- Justin Harrison, Kevin Mitchell, Justin Sanders(i believe, year not listed on roster), couple of backup seniors who didnt see much time

LB- Leman and Steele

DL- Chris Norwell, Mike Ware,

RB- Mendenhall

WRs- Jacob Willis, DaJuan Warren- both bigger contributors in years past

OL- Martin O'Donnell (huge loss), Akim Millington

FB- Russ "the beast" Weil - - opened a lot of holes for RM.

While we did lose the heart of our defense (Leman) and the pivotal part of our offensive line, I contend that we will be better at the DBs, DL, OL, WRs, and nearly as good at LB (will be better once Martez comes into his own).

Next year's team will have a ton of young talent with a upperclassmen mixed in. Class year is for next school year. These are players currently on the team except for the mention of Donsay Hardeman.

DBs- Vontae Davis (Jr.), Travon Bellamy (RS Soph) (big loss, was out for the year, really hurt us in the passing game), Donsay Hardeman(Jr.) (STUD!, JuCo transfer), Dere Hicks (Jr.), Marcus "Miami" Thomas (soph) (guy gave OSU fits backing up vontae), Nate Bussey (soph), Chris Duvalt (jr.), Bo Flowers (soph- 24-25 years old), Darius Purcell (soph).

There are NO senior DBs next year which is huge. There are other DBs on team, but i feel these guys will all see time next year.

LBs- Martez Wilson (soph), Brit miller (Sr), Matt Carson (Sr), Rodney Pittman (Sr), Enrique Robertson (soph), Ian Thomas (Frosh), few others

Nice mix of youngsters with veterans.

DL- Josh Brent (soph), Daryle Ballew (soph), Jerry Brown (RS Soph), Will Davis (Sr.), Xavier Fulton (Sr), Anterio Jackson (RS Soph), Antonio James (Jr.), David Lindquist (sr), D'Angelo McCray (RS Frosh), Clay Nurse (RS Soph), Doug Pilcher (jr.), Derek Walker (sr.), Sirod Williams (Sr)

All of these guys will see time i believe, others much moreso than others.
Again, a good mix of veterans and young guys.

RBs- Troy Pollard (RS Frosh), Daniel Dufrene (Jr), Walter Mendenhall (possibly, could leave school, will graduate this year)

FB- Rakheem Smith (Jr)

OL- Jon Asamoah (Jr), Eric Block (sr), Jack Cornell (RS Frosh), Mike Garrity (soph), Mark Jackson (soph), Ryan McDonald (sr), Ryan Palmer (RS Soph), Craig Wilson (RS Frosh).

Again, young with vets.

WRs- Arrelious Benn (soph), Chris James (RS Soph, was out entire year, most people dont know this, he wouldve been our #2 guy), Jeff Cumberland (jr). Kyle Hudson (sr., might switch to baseball only), Marques Wilkins (jr), Joe Morgan, Brian Gamble (likely to switch back to DB).






The WR and RB positions seem weak. Illinois is bringing in several RBs in next year's class and its not out of the realm that a Freshman could be starting by the end of the year. The WRs will also be very young, infused with freshman Aj Jenkins, Cordale Scott, and Fred Sykes among others. Illinois could start 2 Freshmen, 1 soph, and 1 junior WRs in a 4WR set.

I know most "elite" programs have backups that could start at a lot of schools and just move into the starting rotation once the guy in front of them graduates or leaves early, and while Illinois certainly isnt elite yet, the mix of young guys with veterans and almost every position assures Illinois will be very competitive every year for the forseeable future.

This year's recruiting class, while not on level with OSU's, adds more depth and security to the roster and fills holes where needed.

In conclusion, I think as we, Illinois fans, look into the future, we believe we can contend in the future b/c of the infusion of young talent.

PHEW! DONE! Clearly, i was bored at 3am this morning.

 

[Oneshot]

Been a consistent poster over on recruitingplanet for the Illinois forum. Wadc can vouch -I hope

It was probably the best thing for Illinois that the Big 10 was "down." Gave the freshman class valuable experience while learning from the older guys and gave Illinois and chance to market itself as a winning team on the rise.

While the team may not have the same record or success as last year (we do play at Michigan, at PSU, at Wisconsin), the team depth-wise and talent-wise will be better.

These are the key contributors Illinois will lose to graduation or the NFL:

DBs- Justin Harrison, Kevin Mitchell, Justin Sanders(i believe, year not listed on roster), couple of backup seniors who didnt see much time

LB- Leman and Steele

DL- Chris Norwell, Mike Ware,

RB- Mendenhall

WRs- Jacob Willis, DaJuan Warren- both bigger contributors in years past

OL- Martin O'Donnell (huge loss), Akim Millington

FB- Russ "the beast" Weil - - opened a lot of holes for RM.

While we did lose the heart of our defense (Leman) and the pivotal part of our offensive line, I contend that we will be better at the DBs, DL, OL, WRs, and nearly as good at LB (will be better once Martez comes into his own).

Next year's team will have a ton of young talent with a upperclassmen mixed in. Class year is for next school year. These are players currently on the team except for the mention of Donsay Hardeman.

DBs- Vontae Davis (Jr.), Travon Bellamy (RS Soph) (big loss, was out for the year, really hurt us in the passing game), Donsay Hardeman(Jr.) (STUD!, JuCo transfer), Dere Hicks (Jr.), Marcus "Miami" Thomas (soph) (guy gave OSU fits backing up vontae), Nate Bussey (soph), Chris Duvalt (jr.), Bo Flowers (soph- 24-25 years old), Darius Purcell (soph).

There are NO senior DBs next year which is huge. There are other DBs on team, but i feel these guys will all see time next year.

LBs- Martez Wilson (soph), Brit miller (Sr), Matt Carson (Sr), Rodney Pittman (Sr), Enrique Robertson (soph), Ian Thomas (Frosh), few others

Nice mix of youngsters with veterans.

DL- Josh Brent (soph), Daryle Ballew (soph), Jerry Brown (RS Soph), Will Davis (Sr.), Xavier Fulton (Sr), Anterio Jackson (RS Soph), Antonio James (Jr.), David Lindquist (sr), D'Angelo McCray (RS Frosh), Clay Nurse (RS Soph), Doug Pilcher (jr.), Derek Walker (sr.), Sirod Williams (Sr)

All of these guys will see time i believe, others much moreso than others.
Again, a good mix of veterans and young guys.

RBs- Troy Pollard (RS Frosh), Daniel Dufrene (Jr), Walter Mendenhall (possibly, could leave school, will graduate this year)

FB- Rakheem Smith (Jr)

OL- Jon Asamoah (Jr), Eric Block (sr), Jack Cornell (RS Frosh), Mike Garrity (soph), Mark Jackson (soph), Ryan McDonald (sr), Ryan Palmer (RS Soph), Craig Wilson (RS Frosh).

Again, young with vets.

WRs- Arrelious Benn (soph), Chris James (RS Soph, was out entire year, most people dont know this, he wouldve been our #2 guy), Jeff Cumberland (jr). Kyle Hudson (sr., might switch to baseball only), Marques Wilkins (jr), Joe Morgan, Brian Gamble (likely to switch back to DB).






The WR and RB positions seem weak. Illinois is bringing in several RBs in next year's class and its not out of the realm that a Freshman could be starting by the end of the year. The WRs will also be very young, infused with freshman Aj Jenkins, Cordale Scott, and Fred Sykes among others. Illinois could start 2 Freshmen, 1 soph, and 1 junior WRs in a 4WR set.

I know most "elite" programs have backups that could start at a lot of schools and just move into the starting rotation once the guy in front of them graduates or leaves early, and while Illinois certainly isnt elite yet, the mix of young guys with veterans and almost every position assures Illinois will be very competitive every year for the forseeable future.

This year's recruiting class, while not on level with OSU's, adds more depth and security to the roster and fills holes where needed.

In conclusion, I think as we, Illinois fans, look into the future, we believe we can contend in the future b/c of the infusion of young talent.

PHEW! DONE! Clearly, i was bored at 3am this morning.

Pretty interesting/sad that I recognize so many of those young names due to their being previous Ohio State targets.

I, for one, do not see Illinois as having already hit their ceiling.

What I saw at the 'Shoe this year was a very composed team with a ton of speed, a ton of youth, and a ton of moxy.

I am 100% in favor of a stronger BTen.

So cheers to you, Illinois, and here's to hoping we see another early 90's run of good Illinois teams.

 

[Muck]

The true test of a program is consistensy. You always see teams have a good run every now and then like Illinois did this year, but can you keep doing it year after year when everybody is gunning for you like Ohio State has done

And only one "newcomer" team has been able to pass that test over the past two decades.

Wisconsin

 

[sandgk]

One other mountain that Illinois fans hoped Zook had climbed last year was the ability to go head-to-head for top talent with Notre Dame, particularly for in-state talent. (And especially for in-state talent at parochial schools).

Last year Illinois had a couple of noticeable successes against ND - in-state with Martez Wilson, out of state with Arrelious Benn. You can certainly argue that Josh Brent is a clean capture from ND out of the parochial leagues as well as he was on their radar early - though not in his top 5 as the recruiting process developed.

This year however ND has pretty much put up the fences around the Chicago pool and also and in-state parochial talent in which Illinois has an interest.

If Zook finds himself closed out of those two pipelines by ND at the top end then their likelihood of maintaining consistency diminishes. So, is the future of Zook's in-state recruiting to be like the 2007 class, or will it drift toward 2008?
That is the $64K question for the Illini. An example of likely contested player going forward? Well, out of state there is Eric Shrive. In-state the most highly rated player appearing on Illinois' board for 2009 is Ben Sampson.

 

[illinidarrin]

One other mountain that Illinois fans hoped Zook had climbed last year was the ability to go head-to-head for top talent with Notre Dame, particularly for in-state talent. (And especially for in-state talent at parochial schools).

Last year Illinois had a couple of noticeable successes against ND - in-state with Martez Wilson, out of state with Arrelious Benn. You can certainly argue that Josh Brent is a clean capture from ND out of the parochial leagues as well as he was on their radar early - though not in his top 5 as the recruiting process developed.

This year however ND has pretty much put up the fences around the Chicago pool and also and in-state parochial talent in which Illinois has an interest.

If Zook finds himself closed out of those two pipelines by ND at the top end then their likelihood of maintaining consistency diminishes. So, is the future of Zook's in-state recruiting to be like the 2007 class, or will it drift toward 2008?
That is the $64K question for the Illini. An example of likely contested player going forward? Well, out of state there is Eric Shrive. In-state the most highly rated player appearing on Illinois' board for 2009 is Ben Sampson.

we are not closed out in any way. we may get alot of the top players from the state next year in Drummond,Moffet, Appleton,hawthorne and some others. With the success of the Illini this year, i'm almost certain they will get some good in-state players. i dont understand where you get that Sampson is the only highly rated player on our board from the state?

We already got a great player in Fellows in next years class. It would be a huge mistake to underestimate Zook and his recruiting.

 

[sandgk]

we are not closed out in any way. we may get alot of the top players from the state next year in Drummond,Moffet, Appleton,hawthorne and some others. With the success of the Illini this year, i'm almost certain they will get some good in-state players. i dont understand where you get that Sampson is the only highly rated player on our board from the state?

We already got a great player in Fellows in next years class. It would be a huge mistake to underestimate Zook and his recruiting.

Not picking on your response illinidarrin but the focus of my post was on Zook vs ND in the battles for recruits.

How is he doing vs. Weis head-to-head this year?

As for Sampson - look at Illinois.scout.com for 2009 and sort by hometown.

As for Fellows - long time till '09 NLOID, and he does not sport an ND offer.

 

[illinidarrin]

Not picking on your response illinidarrin but the focus of my post was on Zook vs ND in the battles for recruits.

How is he doing vs. Weis head-to-head this year?

As for Sampson - look at Illinois.scout.com for 2009 and sort by hometown.

As for Fellows - long time till '09 NLOID, and he does not sport an ND offer.

I'm not worried about ND. Zook may not have gotten many players against ND this year, but i think that will change after what happened this past season for both teams. BTW, i would be shocked if The #1 player in the state Craig Drummond does not go to Illinois. He is from Morgan Park where we have recruited very well the last couple of years.

Also, i wouldn't put much stock in scout database. Drummond will be the best player in the state next year and we have a great chance to get him.

 

[sandgk]

I'm not worried about ND.

You should be ... or at least be comparing their success in Illinois relative to Zook's.

Zook may not have gotten many players against ND this year,

See - that wasn't so tough to say was it?

but i think that will change after what happened this past season for both teams.

Which really will be one key test - can he out-recruit ND head-to-head for talent in which both schools have an interest. Hidden within your confident assertion is an acceptance of the importance of Zook coming out on top in these battles.

BTW, i would be shocked if The #1 player in the state Craig Drummond does not go to Illinois. He is from Morgan Park where we have recruited very well the last couple of years.

Added the link to rivals player ratings as you so clearly dismiss Scout's. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Even if Rivals has so many schools in play - being the in-state normally helps - watch out for Nick Satan!

 

[illinidarrin]

...

You should be ... or at least be comparing their success in Illinois relative to Zook's.

See - that wasn't so tough to say was it?

Which really will be one key test - can he out-recruit ND head-to-head for talent in which both schools have an interest. Hidden within your confident assertion is an acceptance of the importance of Zook coming out on top in these battles.


Added the link to rivals player ratings as you so clearly dismiss Scout's. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Even if Rivals has so many schools in play - being the in-state normally helps - watch out for Nick Satan!

the reason why i dismiss scout is because Sampson is not even in the top 10 or top 20 in the Chicago sun-times article today.he is not the highest ranked player we are in on in the state. Drummond,Moffet,Hill,and Buckner are much higher ranked in the Chicago area. Appleton will be a top ten player in the state overall and we lead for him right now.

 

[wadc45]

Just wanted to thank lopo and illinidarrin for contributing to this thread...they have been solid contributors over on RP and I think this is what makes BP/RP great. We have this thread where Illini fans can offer up their analysis of their program and we have the TSUN thread for people like SNIPER and ChrisAto, etc. I think we all stand to benefit from hearing things from the other side and if anything it will help shed some as we prepare for the game in Champaign this Fall...

 

[GrizzlyBuck]

It should be interesting to watch the Illini this year. They will probably have as much or more talent than any team in the B10 (besides tOSU obviously) but they will sneak up on nobody. They have a tough road schedule, that will test all that talented youth as well as test the "Zook can recruit, but can't coach theory"

Hopefully Zooker can keep building them back up so they can help uphold the strength of the B10 and they can fight for 2nd or 3rd place every year

Behind you know who

 

[cincibuck]

It's my belief that there is only one program that can threaten the long term hegemony of Ohio State and Michigan in the Big 10 and that's Illinois... the home of Grange, J.C. Caroline, Butkus and Zuppke.

I thought White/Tepper/the-next-great-white-hope might turn the program around, but no one seems to be able to do more than a four or five year stand and then it's back a complete overhaul. Zook may just be the key.

The Chicago market is also hit hard by Michigan and Purdue as well as Notre Dame and Champagne - Urbana is a long way from the Loop

 

[DaytonBuck]

Chicago might as well be another state

 

[BB73]

cfn

[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]A Conversation With Ron Zook[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif][FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]By John Harris[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]

CFN's John Harris also co-hosts with [/SIZE][/FONT]Sean ?The Cablinasian? Pendergast daily on the Sean and John Show 2-6 PM CST on 1560 The Game, Houston, TX (1560 AM KGOW The Game: Home). This is his interview with the Illinois head coach Ron Zook[/SIZE][/FONT]

Sean and John: We?re joined by the University of Illinois head coach Ron Zook. Coach, congratulations once again for this season and being nominated for this prestigious award.

Ron Zook: Well thank you. It is an honor and privilege. And obviously it takes everybody, it is a family affair, our players and coaches, everybody is involved. It is an honor to be around these great coaches.

Sean and John: Now Coach, you?re following Gary Pinkel on air here and right before he went off the air he threw down the gauntlet and said the Tigers were going to beat Illinois by three touchdowns next year (tongue in cheek of course). You have got to follow that.

Ron Zook: Well you know I will say this; it will be a heck of a ball game for the both of us. I was hoping his quarterback would leave early. He is a good, good player but the city of St. Louis is already fired up and it will be a good game. I think our guys believe they can win and that?s the one game we kind of pushed our guys over the hump after the game. We knew how good they were and obviously the country did not know until towards the end of the season. That was the one game we used as measuring stick for our football team.
[/FONT]
Cont'd ...

 

[illinidarrin]

the reason why i dismiss scout is because Sampson is not even in the top 10 or top 20 in the Chicago sun-times article today.he is not the highest ranked player we are in on in the state. Drummond,Moffet,Hill,and Buckner are much higher ranked in the Chicago area. Appleton will be a top ten player in the state overall and we lead for him right now.

Apparently the Illini got both Buckner and Hill this weekend. they are going to be two of the top 10 players in the state.