Illini coordinators look for upper hand in spring game on Saturday

CHAMPAIGN – It’s not about revealing some crazy scheme to make a splash during the Orange and Blue spring game Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

This is just another practice for the Illini as they close spring drills, put one final session on tape and begin the march toward summer workouts, preseason camp and the season opener against Eastern Illinois on Aug. 29.

For defensive coordinator Aaron Henry and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney, Jr., this is another chance for their side of the ball to show improvement after both of them took some heat a year ago when the Illini saw their momentum from an 8-win season in 2022 fizzle into a losing record.

“It’s always healthy competition with coach Lunney,’’ Henry said Thursday. “We both understand what we’re trying to get done in terms of helping our roster and each other. There’s naturally a competitive spirit. He wants his guys to go out and score. We want to go out there and get takeaways. We’ll treat it like a game. Once we get done, we’re the best of friends.

“You have to find out who can play and who can help you. You don’t try to outscheme the offense. You put in base calls to see who can play, who runs well, who flips their hips, how they come out of breaks. It’s about who can help us win games.’’

There’s no scoring, no rosters. Just the offense vs. the defense in situational football and perhaps the chance to see good on good, as the Illini look for a more balanced offense behind an improved offensive line and playmaking defense after losing more talent to the NFL draft.

Henry is the more animated, vocal coordinator who gets himself worked up about his side of the ball. He’s talking about a Swiss Army knife, a secret weapon, players that have “wowed’’ him as he attempts a bounce back year in his second in charge of the Illini defense.

Despite the loss of Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph to the NFL Draft and a young secondary trying to get its feet after suffering through a year of transition, Henry proclaimed his confidence in a group of replacements up front and the growth of those young players in the secondary.

“I’m very, very encouraged about the direction of the defense,’’ Henry said.

The play of some new faces up front had Henry talking. Defensive linemen Denis Briggs (Florida State) and Terah Edwards (Northwestern) were drawing praise. So were outside rush linebackers Alec Bryant (Virginia Tech) and Daniel Brown (Hutchinson Community College). Add them to returners Gabe Jacas and Seth Coleman.

“We’ve got some guys who are playing extremely well, and I’m encouraged going into fall camp,’’ Henry said. “As we go through the spring game and assess where we are, I will feel just as comfortable and encouraged going into the fall as I did last year.’’

On the back end, cornerbacks Kaleb Patterson, Chase Canada are a pair of JUCO kids who stepped forward with Jaheim Clark. Their ascension created the possibility for more versatility for players like secret weapon/Swiss Army knife Tyler Strain and Xavier Scott, Henry said.

Throw those five together “and you’ve got a pretty solid secondary,’’ Henry said.

That’s before Henry mentions Matt Bailey, Miles Scott, Mac Resetich or Saboor Karriem.

“You have those guys mixed with corners and nickels, we don’t lack talent,’’ Henry said. “It’s more a matter of experience. Sometimes, it’s trial by error. Sometimes you have to get guys in the fire. Some guys haven’t played a lot.’’

But between the new faces up front and the depth in the secondary, Henry felt good moving forward.

“I’m trying to teach the secondary with what some of the guys (up front) are capable of doing, you don’t need to cover long,’’ he said. “You have to do your job initially, and do it well. If you do it well initially, some of the guys we have up front are special.’’

Lunney isn’t as big of a talker as Henry. Maybe that’s just the difference between offense and defense. But this is also a big season for Lunney, who suffered through a rough stretch early a year ago when there were questions if he would survive the season.

An improved offensive line and a pair of explosive running backs with some experience provided Lunney with some confidence, as does a second year with quarterback Luke Altmyer, but the spring has been about setting expectations and building a depth chart.

“The big thing is to form the identity of what the 2024 Illinois offense is going to look and feel,’’ Lunney said. “That doesn’t have a lot to do with schematics. Everybody knows how we want to play and what we want to do. It’s who the pieces of the puzzle are and wo the strengths and weaknesses are within the scheme.’’

“The big takeaway for me is where we’re trending toward, and I’m excited about that.’’

The Illini enter the season with more quality offensive line depth and better athletes on the outside. New Mexico transfer J.C. Davis locked down the spot at left tackle, and senior guard Zy Crisler is finally healthy and playing his best football.

A second year of Altmyer is a reason to feel better about the Illini offense, and Donovan Leary has developed into a capable backup. Running backs Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin provide some lightning in complement to Josh McCray’s thunder.

The Illini are confident they can find a replacement for tight end Tip Reiman, and there are new faces at wide receiver.

“I feel good about where we are with offensive line depth and what we brought in,’’ Lunney said. “That’s been obvious to us. We have more quality depth. The last half (of last year), we really leveled off and pieced together some good games up front. Early on as an offense, starting with me, we weren’t great.

“I’m hopeful that with the development, our ceiling last year is the floor this year. That’s the goal. It’s not a guarantee but a goal that we can pick up where we left off and move forward. There’s a progression up front. All the new faces that we brought in will add some element to help us offensively.’’