The Illinois football office announced this week that it will offer interactive online updates of NCAA National Letter of Intent Signing Day Wednesday.

For the second consecutive year, fans can log onto coachronzook.com for a day-long blog, online chats and live streaming of coach Ron Zook’s signing-day press conference.

The coverage is scheduled to start at 7 a.m., when the War Room blog goes live from the football offices.

Later in the day, recruiting coordinator Reggie Mitchell, sophomore quarterback Juice Williams and Zook will all participate in online chats.

Sports Information Director Mike Koon will host interviews with assistant coaches, and radio host Steve Kelly’s 90-minute signing-day show on WDWS will be simulcast online.

Richards takes job with Texans

Lloyd Richards, Illinois director of football operations, has taken a job as the Houston Texans vice president of football operations.

Richards spent five years as the Illini director of football operations and has extensive experience working in the NFL.

In 2001, he was the assistant director of pro personnel for the Washington Redskins. Before that, he worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Richards is a three-time letter winner with the Illini, playing defensive back in the early 1990s.

He graduated in 1995 with a degree in speech communications and earned a master’s degree in organizational communications in 2004.

Dufrene unlikely for spring season

Daniel Dufrene, a junior college running back who signed with the Illini in December, will likely not participate in spring workouts as expected.

Dufrene expected to begin classes at Illinois this semester, which would have made him eligible to participate in team activities.

But problems with transferring transcripts have prevented that from happening.

Dufrene’s paperwork would have needed to be completed by the last day to register for semester-long classes.

The deadline to register for them was Monday.

Dufrene is listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.

At the College of the Sequoias, he was an all-conference selection, rushing for 750 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

Originally signing with Vanderbilt out of high school, Dufrene spent one semester as a redshirt before transferring.