During the Illinois bye week, the entire staff was out in full force on the recruiting trail. One of several stops for head coach Lovie Smith was in St. Louis, as Trinity Catholic took on St. Peters Lutheran in a Friday night showdown.

Among the many prospects participating in the game was 6-foot-5, 320-pound junior offensive lineman Ira Henry, who was grateful for Smith’s presence.

“It was really crazy, and you can tell he has a passion for our football program because he’s really recruiting our players hard,” Henry said. “So to have him at our game and watching us play, it was great. I got to shake his hand and talk to him for a little bit, and I am just very glad he came to the game.”