Illinois fields concerns surrounding quarterback controversy
By JJ Kim, Assistant Sports Editor
July 19, 2019
As training camp quickly approaches, Illinois still has a big question mark at the game’s most important position. As of July 18, head coach Lovie Smith and his staff have four competitors fighting for the starting quarterback job: Brandon Peters, Isaiah Williams, Matt Robinson and Coran Taylor. A...
Big Ten programs react to Illinois at Media Days
By Miles Powers-Huang, Staff Writer
July 19, 2019
Although some Illini fans are losing patience with the Lovie Smith regime, the Illinois head coach said this year’s roster is his strongest yet, and around the conference, Illinois’ improvements haven't gone unnoticed. “(Last season) their o-line was young,” said Nebraska defensive lineman Kh...
Illini optimistic about defense in 2019
By Jared Farmer, Staff Writer
July 19, 2019
A wise man once said this: "Defense wins championships." Even among bottom-rung teams, including Illinois, defense was a hot topic at this year's Big Ten Football Media Days. And after recording the poorest defensive performances in the Big Ten last season — and one of the worst in program history ...
Grad transfers Imatorbhebhe, Peters commit to Illinois
By JJ Kim, Assistant Sports Editor
June 18, 2019
The Illinois football team continued to add pieces to its roster as they added Josh Imatorbhebhe, a grad transfer wide receiver from the University of Southern California and Michigan transfer quarterback Brandon Peters within the past few days. Imatorbhebhe, a 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound receiver, committed on ...
Illini add Dalevon Campbell to class of 2019
By Alec Busse, Staff Writer
June 2, 2019
On Friday, Illinois added Missouri City, Texas, wide receiver Dalevon Campbell to their 2019 recruiting class. Campbell could be an asset for the Illini quarterbacks, as he measures in at 6-foot-4-inches and 200 pounds. In addition to his size, Campbell has some elite speed: He runs a 100-meter dash a...
Roundtree suffers spinal cord injury
By JJ Kim, Assistant Sports Editor
May 22, 2019
Illinois star defensive end Bobby Roundtree suffered a major spinal injury in a swimming accident Saturday. The accident occurred near his home in Largo, Florida, and the junior underwent surgery on Sunday at Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, Florida. “Bobby Roundtree is exactly what you wan...
Illinois prospect dies in deadly party shooting
By Meghan Rest, Sports Editor
May 7, 2019
Fourteen-year-old football standout Jaylon McKenzie was shot and killed in the St. Louis metro area late Saturday night. McKenzie was a running back and wide receiver at the Mason-Clark Middle School in East Saint Louis and received offers to play football at the University of Illinois just five days...
Illinois quarterback Rivers enters transfer portal
By Alec Busse, Contributing Writer
May 4, 2019
Illini freshman quarterback M.J. Rivers announced via Twitter Saturday night he will be entering the transfer portal due to “personal circumstances.” “The road to your dreams often are not straight and narrow, usually they have bumps, curves, and dips,” River said in a tweet. https://t...
Patterson uses Trinity Catholic background for Illinois recruitment
By Alec Busse, Contributing Writer
April 29, 2019
Football Head coach Lovie Smith was adding more than just another name to his coaching staff when he brought Cory Patterson to Champaign as a tight end’s coach in January 2018. Patterson possesses a plethora of knowledge when it comes to the St. Louis area from his days as the head coach at Trinit...
Allegretti selected by Kansas City Chiefs in NFL Draft
By Gavin Good, Staff Writer
April 29, 2019
Former Illinois offensive guard Nick Allegretti became just the second Illini player drafted in the last three years on Saturday when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him with the 216th pick in seventh round of the NFL Draft. Allegretti captained Illinois in each of the past two seasons and anchored t...
Illinois Staff using Catapult Tech
By Gavin Good, Staff Writer
April 22, 2019
Illinois always wants to know more about the physical outputs and performance capabilities of its players. That’s part of why the program bought 44 Catapult vests that provide coaches with a live feed of data as players go about their everyday efforts in practice and workouts. Fit with a GPS device...
Illinois looks forward to fall
By Gavin Good, Staff Writer
April 15, 2019
There may still be about four-and-a-half months before Illinois football’s season opener against Akron, but Illinois put on its first spring game since 2015 on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. Though there will likely be many changes to the Illini’s lineup, and since the class of 2023 is...
