Illini football continues May recruiting success
By Alec Busse, Assistant Video Editor
May 30, 2020
On Dec. 7, Illinois received their first commitment in their 2021 recruiting class — Samari Collier a three-star quarterback from DeSoto, Texas. Illinois would have to wait over just under five months for their second 2021 pledge, which came on May, 3, from Ga. defensive back Prince Green. However,...
Roundtree finds purpose, is determined to walk again
By Carson Gourdie, Assistant Sports Editor
May 23, 2020
Under blue skies and immense pressure, junior kicker James McCourt lines up for a 39-yard field goal down by two. A successful attempt results in a program-saving upset over the undefeated and No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers while cooling down Lovie Smith's hot seat talk. The ball is snapped, and McCourt drills the ...
Whitman, Illinois plan for return of men’s basketball, football student-athletes June 3
By Gabby Hajduk, Sports Editor
May 22, 2020
For the first time in months, Josh Whitman was able to give his staff, his student-athletes and Illinois fans positive information when it comes to the return of sports. On Friday, the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its preparing to return Illini football and m...
2021 commit Trevor Moffitt brings speed, athleticism to Illini
By Alec Busse, Assistant Video Editor
May 19, 2020
On Thursday, Illinois received a verbal commitment from three-star Bushnell, Florida, linebacker Trevor Moffitt. Moffitt is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs around 195 pounds, which is slightly undersized compared to most Big Ten linebackers. However, Illinois head coach Lovie Smith is interested in...
Casey Washington works to reach new heights in sophomore season
By Gabby Hajduk, Sports Editor
May 15, 2020
Editors note: A previous version featured a picture that incorrectly identified the player. We have since changed the image. The Daily Illini regrets this error. Every year, the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics honors several student athletes and teams with the Oskee Awards....
Illini football add prep linebacker, grad-transfer safety
By Alec Busse, Assistant Video Editor
May 14, 2020
Illinois football was active in the recruiting world on Thursday with a pair of new commitments. The first, Trevor Moffitt, from Bushnell (Fla.), is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound linebacker in the 2021 class. Moffitt is slightly undersized, in terms of weight, to play linebacker at the Big Ten level, but he ma...
Team of the century: 2001 Illini football win Big Ten, earn Sugar Bowl berth
By Alec Busse, Assistant Video Editor
May 13, 2020
When telling the story of the 2001 Illinois football team, it is important to start in 1999, two years before their Big Ten Championship. Or, even two years before that: 1997. Let’s start in 1997, four seasons prior to the historic 2001 season. The 1997 season was Ron Turner’s first as the head...
2020’s divisive political debate could steer college football
By Miles Powers-Huang, Staff Writer
May 8, 2020
Over the past week, more and more southern states have announced that college students will be returning to campus for the fall 2020 semester. That likely means SEC and ACC schools will be pushing for the 2020 college football season to go ahead as planned, including fans in attendance in some capaci...
Best Illini uniforms: Orange-blue-orange ranks top combination for 2019 football team
By Alec Busse, Assistant Video Editor
May 6, 2020
Last week, The Athletic wrote countless articles about uniforms at all levels of sports, so I approached my editor Gabby Hajduk about doing something similar for Illini athletics. Thankfully, she agreed. This week you will see opinion stories, like this one, and stories asking players about how uniforms...
Illini add Prince Green to 2021 class
By Alec Busse, Assistant Video Editor
May 5, 2020
On Sunday night, three-star 2021 cornerback Prince Green became the second recruit to commit in the 2021 recruiting class. Green, a native of Griffin, Georgia, is the 82-ranked player in the state and is the 1,126 nationally-ranked player in the country, according to 247Sports. Green pledges his co...
Illini add another impactful transfer
By Alec Busse, Assistant Video Editor
April 30, 2020
On Tuesday afternoon, Miami wide receiver transfer Brian Hightower announced on Twitter that he is transferring to Illinois for his last two years of eligibility. In his seasons with the Hurricanes, Hightower played in 18 games, had 12 receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown. In high school, Hightower...
Former Illinois defensive lineman Oluwole Betiku Jr. signs as undrafted free agent
By Jackson Janes, Assistant Sports Editor
April 28, 2020
The New York Giants have signed former Illini defensive lineman Oluwole Betiku Jr. as an undrafted free agent. The announcement was made on Tuesday. https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1255254809072058368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1255254809072058368&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news-gazette.com%2Fsports%2Fgiants-sign-oluwole-betiku%2Farticle_c063fc2e-899f-11ea-95ae-d762eb82998a.html Betiku joined Illinois in 2019 after spendin...
