Illinois wide receiver Carmoni Green wants you to count on him
By Eli Schuster, Sports Editor
August 16, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Half of sophomore wide receiver Carmoni Green’s receptions in 2017 came in one game. It was a season where head coach Lovie Smith played more true freshman than any other team in college football, yet the four-star (Rivals) recruit out of Miami didn’t find his breakout performance. On Nov...
Linebackers Phillips, Hansen tapped for big roles in 2018
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 16, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Illinois head coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson speak openly about what they want from their defense: takeaways. For a 2017 season in which the Illini sputtered to a 2-10 (0-9 Big Ten Conference) record, the defense actually fared respectably in the takeaway category, tying f...
Lovie Smith coaching Illini cornerbacks after Abraham’s resignation
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 15, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
After the resignation of cornerbacks coach Donnie Abraham for personal reasons on Tuesday, head coach Lovie Smith had to brush off his position coaching skills and step into the role himself. It’s no matter of concern, Smith made sure to point out after practice. After all, he has spent time co...
Rod Smith using running backs in a variety of ways
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 15, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
It’s been widely reported by now — new offensive coordinator Rod Smith is bringing an up-tempo, spread offense to Memorial Stadium this season. As a result, Illinois is expected to pass the ball more and move quickly, and it remains to be seen what that means for the running game. Right now, ...
Area natives Pearl, Griffin aspire to make community proud
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 13, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Illinois freshmen Julian Pearl and Caleb Griffin may not see playing time in 2018, but each player has had an eye on the Illini from a young age. Pearl has watched the Illini over the years from nearby Danville, Illinois, and the 6-foot-6 defensive line convert is determined to be a part of the gr...
Illini freshmen settling into second week of camp
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 13, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Ahead of Lovie Smith’s third year, and with the arrival of his second recruiting class, Illinois football is set to be, statistically, the youngest team in the nation in 2018. Underclassmen make up 76.5 percent of the Illini roster and the program only has nine seniors. Similar to last season, ...
Justice Williams finding his place in Illini offense
By Eli Schuster, Sports editor
August 9, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
On a Thursday night in the fall of 2017, linebacker Justice Williams got his shot. “It’s going down,” Williams would tell former Illini quarterback Jeff George. “If I move to receiver, it’s going down.” Williams lined up with Jaylen Dunlap, a former teammate who was, at the time, one o...
Clark appreciating intensity from his defensive line at training camp
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 9, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
One-on-ones between offensive and defensive lines are a staple of any football practice, pitting the strong against the strong in battles of brute strength and refined technique. First-year Illinois defensive line coach Austin Clark and offensive line coach Luke Butkus each relished the chance to s...
Experience, young depth give Illini secondary promise
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 9, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
On a less-than-stellar day for the quarterbacks, the Illini secondary owned Wednesday’s practice. It seemed as if virtually every defensive back who got reps made a good read to break up a pass or several. In light of newly added youth and depth, in addition to talented returners Bennett Williams and ...
Bush builds rapport with Illini receiving corps
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
August 8, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
At this time last week, new Illini quarterback AJ Bush had not thrown a single ball to an Illinois receiver. Nonetheless, on only the fifth day of Illinois football training camp, Bush trots over to sophomore wide receiver Carmoni Green to address a dropped ball. “Oh boy, that’s a tough one,” B...
Illini football training camp: What you need to know early on
By Eli Schuster, Sports Editor
August 4, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
The horse that stood south of the Campus Recreation fields was the same color as the football flying through the air. Wagging its tail, the animal watched along with what could be estimated as a couple hundred fans as the Illini kicked off day two of their training camp. It was 9 a.m. and new offen...
Allegretti embracing lead role ahead of training camp
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
July 26, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
By 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, a once-bustling crowd of Big Ten coaches, players and media had steadily dissipated into a scattered group of straggling reporters and rather tired-looking players and coaches. Meanwhile, Illinois offensive lineman Nick Allegretti casually weaved tales about h...
