Unlike most freshmen on the football team, Brock Bolen has already been on campus a semester, and has had an opportunity to adjust to college life.

But that freshman feeling will come back to haunt Bolen on Saturday as he, along with his classmates, take the field at Memorial Stadium for his first collegiate football game against Florida A&M.;

Bolen is joined by 23 other freshmen vying for a chance to play this season. And with the talent some of them possess, the job shouldn’t be too difficult.

“I’m excited about them. I think it’s going to be a good group,” head coach Ron Turner said. “We thought so, but you never know until you get them here. But I think it’s a group that has good football awareness and good football sense and they seem to be coming together real well.”

Bolen, a Springboro, Ohio, native, was named a Top-100 recruit by the Chicago Sun-Times. Bolen carried the ball for 2,087 yards and scored 40 times as a senior.

Bolen said enrolling in the spring put him at a definite advantage, since it allowed him to learn both the system and plays.

“He’s a smart kid anyway – and football smart. So both those things combined and the fact that he was here in the spring definitely, definitely helped him,” Turner said.

Bolen, who hopes to see some playing time, is competing for the second spot for fullback on the depth chart with redshirt-freshman Brian Grzelakowski. Junior Jason Davis is the probable starter.

Jason Reda of Rock Island, Ill., is slated to be the starting placekicker for the Illini.

Reda was named to All-State, All-Conference and All-Metro teams in football and was an All-Conference and All-Sectional performer in soccer at Rock Island High School.

“It’s an awesome team, awesome guys,” said Reda about being a part of this Illini team. “I am excited to be here.”

Reda has been preparing for the No. 1 spot for a while and admits he is a little nervous about being the starter – especially in a game a lot different from high school.

“Everyone is just huge and everyone is fast and just good at their position, unlike in high school where there are a few good players out there,” Reda said. “Now I have to worry about everyone just being incredibly good. But I’m up for it.”

Freshman Kyle Knezetic and red shirt-freshman Tyler Keely are competing for the starting long snapper position.

Russ Weil will look to get some playing time at linebacker behind Anthony Thornhill.

Freshman Bryant Creamer realizes he is behind a large stack of talented wide receivers, but the Chicago native is just excited to be a part of the team and knows his time will come.

“The guys are all real nice,” Creamer said. “It’s real nice being a part of this team.

“I’m going to work hard regardless, whatever the outcome is. If I play it’s going to make me work harder, and if I don’t play it’s going to make me work harder. I’m a freshman; I’ve got a lot of stuff to work on. Coach isn’t going to put me in there if he doesn’t feel that I am ready.”