If Ron Zook ever takes a moment to rest on his laurels, he’s not admitting it. His players certainly aren’t getting a breather anytime soon, either.

A nine-win Rose Bowl season undoubtedly moved mountains for the national reputation of the once-doubted head coach, who simultaneously extracted the Illinois football program from the annals of national obscurity and shrugged off the label of “great-recruiter-who-fizzles-on-gameday.”

Yet Zook has no interest in standing pat at nine wins, nor does he want his younger players, who did not experience two-win seasons in 2005 and 2006, feeling entitled to a BCS bowl appearance. As a result, this year’s Camp Rantoul preseason workouts, the fourth of Zook’s tenure, were the longest and most grueling players have seen.

Senior offensive lineman Xavier Fulton has now been to four training camps, and had some idea of what to expect heading into the summer.

“As soon as I see the sign for Rantoul, I feel a slight sinking feeling, because I know I’m not going anywhere for a long time,” Fulton said.

However, unlike previous years, this year’s camp was a full three weeks long – one week longer than usual – because of changes in the Illini’s schedule.

“I’m probably the only one excited about that,” Zook said before camp began.

The extra time on the practice field was a welcome opportunity for the coaching staff to ingrain the Illini playbook.

“When you get them on the field, you want them reacting,” Zook said. “From the standpoint of more practices, doing the same thing over and over and over, hearing it the same way from the same coach, all those things come together to make it much smoother and have them reacting.”

An extra seven days in the summer heat can prove grueling. Temperatures in Rantoul spiked to more than 95 degrees during the camp’s first week. Cornerback Vontae Davis was asked to adopt an enviable diet of junk food and brownies in order to pack on extra body fat for the heat.

Wideout Arrelious Benn has only seen one other Camp Rantoul, but the difference between coming off two wins in 2006 and nine wins in 2007 was obvious.

“It was a tougher camp, way tougher than last year, and it was a better camp than last year,” Benn said. “I got a little sluggish, my body got tired, but that happens. Now we’ve got a lot of players who believe they can win and want to win.”

Even as camp wrapped up for the summer, there’s no time to relax.

“These guys are excited about proving to people that it’s a one and done deal,” Zook said.