Sure, the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are coming to town, but what’s more important than the chance for the Illini to break into the national polls and remain undefeated in conference play? Dad’s Day, that’s what.

Well, maybe not, but for seniors J Leman and Jacob Willis, Dad’s Day is an important yearly event in their Illini careers.

Sure, the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers are coming to town, but what’s more important than the chance for the Illini to break into the national polls and remain undefeated in conference play? Dad’s Day, that’s what.

Well, maybe not, but for seniors J Leman and Jacob Willis, Dad’s Day is an important yearly event in their Illini careers.

Like father, like son

It seems Jacob Willis had no choice. Like his brother before him and his father Lenny before that, he was destined to play wide receiver at a Big Ten school.

The senior receiver from Champaign Centennial High School transferred to Illinois from Joliet Junior College and has risen on the depth chart, becoming a factor in the Illini special teams and offense.

His father played college football at Ohio State and professionally with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills.

“Just about everything I do, whether it’s out here on the football field or in class, he’s always pushing me to go to the next level,” Jacob said. “He’s always been there. He’s like a friend, too, not just a father.”

Lenny, a former Illini assistant coach under Lou Tepper, has used his past to teach his son the fundamentals of the game.

“You try to teach them the game and respect for the game,” Lenny said. “Learning how to catch the ball, learning how to run the routes, learning how to block. But the biggest thing is respect for the game.”

And this lesson came to a head when Jacob’s eighth-grade Pop Warner team was playing in a game at Centennial High School.

“In the eighth grade I remember I dove into the end zone and it was on film,” Jacob said. “You could see him going over there to yell at me, telling me to act like I’ve been there before and act like I’ll be there again. That’s probably the best memory I have about (my dad).”

And now, as a senior in college, Willis has caught seven passes for 86 yards and returned six kickoffs for an average of 19.5 yards.

“This is a kid that persevered,” Lenny said. “He’s not on scholarship but he’s out here working hard. If any kid has the determination and dedication that they want to do something, don’t give up on your dream. This is his dream to be out here playing at a major university. Don’t quit on yourself, don’t let anybody tell you, ‘You can’t.’ He’s doing it.”

The Leman way

There’s a standard of excellence at Illinois for its linebackers. Butkus, Nitschke, Howard, Hardy, Rice.

The same standard applies for the Leman family.

J Leman, a Butkus Award hopeful, leads the Big Ten with 11.8 tackles a game, which ranks seventh in the nation.

His dad, Happy Leman, an Illinois alumnus, is a pastor at The Vineyard Church in Urbana.

“I think my dad is my biggest supporter,” J said. “It has always been like that. He’s always been very, very encouraging, but at the same time he is honest with me. He won’t beat around the bush. He’ll tell it like it is.”

Happy admits his greatest advice to his son is not necessarily technical football advice but rather the mental aspects of the game.

“I taught him always to think well, play hard and hustle,” Happy said. “Those are the three things we can control. We can’t control how big we get, we can’t control our size or speed, but we can control those three.”

J remembers his dad’s most critical advice coming after a game, in which Happy thought J could have tried harder.

“(My dad) said you know you didn’t hustle out there, you didn’t give good effort,” J said. “He said, ‘Leman boys don’t play like that.’ That really hit home, and from that time I was like, ‘You know I’m going to run as hard and play as hard as I can every play.'”

Last Saturday, Leman stopped a Nittany Lion drive with two key defensive plays near the Illinois goal line, helping the Illini win their fourth straight game.

“It’s kind of an unbelievable experience,” Happy said. “To watch J out here on the field with a full stadium is like a dream. To see him play out here is both a great joy and privilege, and at times I am stunned at what he does.”

With seven, possibly eight, games remaining in J’s collegiate career, Happy is already looking at the scheduling conflicts with a possible NFL career. Both father and son would work Sundays, but Happy says he will buy the NFL TV package and make it out to a few games. And if the NFL does not pan out, Happy is confident in his son’s character for him to succeed outside football.

“The thing I’ve always told J is we only play football for a while, but we live our life for a long time,” Happy said. “It’s really important to have a life full of character and honesty, being a good person, because that will take you places and open doors.”