Illini fans share thoughts on spring practice
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
April 9, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
For many college football fans, their team’s open spring practice is the first look at the product they are going to see on the field come fall. At some programs, like Illinois, it is also a chance to interact with players and coaches. On Saturday at Memorial Stadium, a crowd of Illinois supporte...
Cerny seeing increased time with first team
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
April 9, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
The Illinois football program bears little resemblance to what it was at the of time redshirt-sophomore Jake Cerny’s commitment. Tim Beckman was the head of the program, but soon after Cerny’s commitment, he was fired. A stint with interim head coach Bill Cubit didn't last long, and Lovie Smith cam...
Spring ball wrap-up
By Tatiania Perry, Staff writer
April 9, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories
To conclude the spring season, the Illini football team split into two teams for a scrimmage in front of faithful fans and plenty of recruits. The roster was team Butkus rocking the orange and team Grange decked out in blue. In a rather impressive show by the offensive line, Grange took the win 38-3...
New Illini position coaches making their mark
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
April 5, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Gill Byrd knows how the game of football should be played: with a heart and mind filled with desire and passion. As the new Illinois safeties coach and passing game coordinator, Byrd hopes to change both the culture and the on-field results of a program that has struggled to compete at a high level for ...
Walk-on players find their role on Illinois football team
By Tatiania Perry, Staff writer
April 4, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories
Not all walk-on stories are Cinderella stories. The college football walk-on is often ignored. Only on rare occasions will a player transform into a future NFL star, like USC walk-on and current Green Bay Packer Clay Matthews. Two categories of walk-ons exist in college football: preferred walk-ons and those who...
Allegretti, offensive line shooting for improved 2018
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
April 2, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports, Top Stories
For Luke Butkus and the Illinois football offensive line, it all comes down to toughness. Trying to build a winning program often starts in the trenches. Succeeding against well-coached, physical Big Ten defenses can come down to whether the offensive line can provide the protection needed for an o...
Illinois linebacking corps taking different shape
By Gavin Good, Staff writer
March 28, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
After starters Tre Watson and Julian Jones announced they would transfer from Illinois following the team’s two-win season in 2017, it was evident the linebacking corps would be very different in 2018. Although Del’Shawn Phillips is returning for his senior season and is expected to start, it is uncle...
Spring break helped Illini football players bond
By Tatiania Perry, Staff writer
March 28, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Spring break is often the most anticipated week of the spring semester for college students. Some use the break as a time to catch up with people they don’t see regularly, but others stick with the same group of people in a new location. The Illinois football team opted for the latter. Teammate...
Football commit Marquez Beason becomes top recruiter
By Eli Schuster, Sports Editor
March 26, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
When Marquez Beason committed to Illinois on March 10, he became the highest-ranked recruit since Arrelious Benn and Martez Wilson in 2007. Hop forward only 13 days later, and head coach Lovie Smith decided he wouldn’t just match the chips on the table, but upped the ante. Five-star quarterback Isaia...
Illinois lands five-star recruit Isaiah Williams
By Eli Schuster, Sports Editor
March 23, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
The No. 27 recruit in the nation and No. 1 recruit in the state of Missouri has committed to Illinois. Isaiah Williams out of Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis announced Friday on his personal twitter account his intention to join the Illini as a member of the 2019 class. https://twitter.c...
Illinois football players settling into new roles
By Tatiania Perry, Assistant sports editor
March 20, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Switching positions has become quite the norm in college football. Whether it be a high school quarterback coming into college as a wide receiver or a seasoned college quarterback moving to tight end, something the Illini saw last season with former team member Chayce Crouch, a position change is ...
Dylan Meyer competes in the PGA TOUR
By Tatiania Perry, Assistant sports editor
March 15, 2018
Filed under Football, Men's Sports, Sports
Over the weekend, Illini golf’s own Dylan Meyer took on some of the best golfers at the PGA Tour. Meyer competed in the 2018 Valspar Championship making his second appearance in a PGA Tour event. The senior is the owner of many accolades throughout his career, three of which came in 2017, includi...
