With seven new players on the field and his first recruiting class seasoned by a year in Champaign, Ron Zook is excited for today’s start of the spring football season.

Zook says that now, more than a year into his tenure at Illinois, he cannot wait to see the progress his team has made since concluding the season in November. And while there will be some very visible changes this spring, it’s the changes Zook is less certain of that he is most excited to see.

“I’m probably more excited about spring ball than ever before,” Zook said in a press conference Monday. “It’s just so much different than a year ago. I think one of the biggest reasons I’m looking forward to getting started is seeing where we’re at, physically and mentally.”

Zook says off-season weight training and conditioning have pushed the veteran players to a new level of physical stamina. He said strength coach Lou Hernandez could not push the players last winter, because the team had never had such high expectations. But having survived Hernandez’s summer program and a rigorous regular season, the players made great strides in the weight room this winter – and Zook expects to see the same level of improvement materialize on the field.

“They’re going to be bigger, stronger, quicker,” Zook said. “We said last season that we needed to change the athleticism of our football team. We’ve helped ourselves with that with the seven guys who are in now, and the other guys are a little bigger.”

There are some changes Zook is ready to see in Tuesday’s practice. With starting quarterback Tim Brasic suspended for at least the first week because of academic issues, sophomore Billy Garza will be at the helm when practice starts. There will also be some shuffling of positions, with sophomore Ryan McDonald moving to center, sophomore Walter Mendenhall moved to fullback and sophomore wide receiver Kyle Hudson taken off the ball and put at the Z wide receiver position.

But no matter what other changes are in store, Zook said he’s most excited to get a fresh start.

“Right now we’re undefeated; we don’t play a game for a while,” Zook said. “I’m more excited than I have been for any spring in a long time. I want to see if the way they carry themselves is carrying over to the football field.”

Hudson steals time for baseball

Sophomore wide receiver Kyle Hudson is pulling double duty this spring, playing on Illinois’ baseball team while also completing spring workouts with the football team.

Football coach Ron Zook said he’s glad Hudson is able to balance two sports as well as his academic responsibilities, and that he’d be happy to see more athletes play more than one sport.

Zook added, however, that he spoke to Illinois baseball coach Dan Hartleb about making sure baseball did not interfere with Hudson’s progress on the gridiron. The freshman continued to attend 6 a.m. workouts with the football team this winter and will likely run between football practices and baseball games during the next four weeks.

“I think what he’s doing is pretty special anyway,” Zook said. “When you’re playing two sports at this level, it’s pretty impressive. It shows you a little bit about the type of athlete he is.”

Probation update

Redshirt-freshman defensive lineman Sam Porter and sophomore defensive lineman Tremayne Walker will be allowed to participate in spring practices after showing considerable improvement in their academics, Zook said. Senior quarterback Tim Brasic, Junior defensive lineman Xavier Fulton and junior wide receiver Spencer Jensen are suspended for at least the first week, with the possibility of being reinstated as early as April 4. Zook said the final decision about their status will be made in the day or two prior to their return.

“If they do the things that they’re supposed to, they may be back. If not, that’s something we need to think about,” Zook said. “Their progress is being monitored daily.”

Injury list

Junior defensive lineman Adam Wilk may miss part of the spring after injuring his knee.Redshirt-freshman offensive lineman Will Bergen suffered a disk injury two weeks ago and is likely to miss a few practices.Senior defensive lineman Arthur Boyd broke his foot during the off season, had a pin put in, and will miss part of the spring.Senior offensive lineman J.J. Simmons’ status is still uncertain after he injured his knee last season.