Recruiting buzz
Football recruiting buzz
* With the 2014 class in the books, focus shifts to the junior class. The 2015 Illini class will be bigger (22-23). Priority number one is the offensive line, with Illinois likely planning to sign up to six linemen next February.
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Orange and Blue News breaks down some of the offensive linemen at the top of the Illinois recruiting board, including an update with David Moorman from Northville (Mich.). Click on the link for the full story:
* 2015 offensive tackle Hunter Littlejohn from Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty will be on campus in Champaign on Saturday for an unofficial visit. OrangeandBlueNews spoke with Littlejohn about his upcoming visit .
* Few Midwest prospects are blowing up this winter like Jacksonville (Ill.) offensive lineman Gabe Megginson. His newest offers are from Ohio State, Miami (Fla.), Cal, and Michigan State. Illinois has their work cut out for them, but Megginson says the Illini are definitely in it.
* Rivals.com ranks East St. Louis defensive lineman Terry Beckner Jr. a 4-star recruit and the No. 35 player in the class of 2015. Not bad. But some scouts and coaches believe Beckner's ceiling is even higher. Tim O'Halloran of EdgyTim.com called Beckner an "SEC type" of defensive lineman. We concur, and think he will push for 5-star status this summer.
* While offensive lineman is the top priority in terms of numbers, we believe Illinois is poised to land a difference-maker at linebacker in 2015. The top LBs on the board are 4-stars Josh Barajas, Nick Conner, and Reagan Williams, who have all visited Illinois. And there are some play-makers ranked 3-star or lower in the mix like Anthony McKee and Sawyer Dawson, two players the Illini staff likes at the hybrid "star" position.
* The in-state dominoes are lined up, and some thought they would begin to tumble a little bit sooner after Champaign (Ill.) Centennial quarterback Jimmy Fitzgerald pledged to Illinois. A commitment may have been imminent soon after, but things are in somewhat of a holding pattern now. That could change in a hurry if one of the top in-state talents decides to be the one to open the flood gates. Stay tuned once spring practices start.
* How much does the Wes Lunt factor effect recruiting? Without his transfer to Illinois, WR signees Geronimo Allison and Tyrin Stone-Davis likely go elsewhere. The QB situation at Illinois overall (Lunt, Aaron Bailey, Chase Crouch) is a huge factor again in the Illini's pursuit of Miles Boykin, Flynn Nagel, Leon Thornton, Auden Tate, Cameron Green, and others.
* Speaking of wide receivers, keep an eye on 2017 stud Jeff Thomas from East St. Louis (Ill.). Thomas is a Percy Harvin clone and the next big thing to emerge from the Flyers' storied program.
Winter workouts underway
Winter workouts are under way at Illinois with early morning sessions of grueling and competitive strength and conditioning drills. It's a part of the college football experience that most fans don't have a chance to get an inside look at.
Orange and Blue News spoke with Fighting Illini head strength and conditioning coach Aaron Hillmann to talk about some of the goals for the Illinois squad this off season. Hillman addresses the individualization of the S&C program, how athletes bulk up and still retain their athleticism, and more.
Go HERE for our exclusive Q&A with coach Hillmann.
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Outside the rankings
The Rivals250 Presented by Under Armour was released this week.
We take a quick look outside the rankings, however, at some under the radar types who could eventually earn an Illini offer.
Spencer Tears, WR, Oak Lawn (Ill.) Richards -
Patrick Nelson, Safety, Chicago Hales Fransiscan
C.J. Stalker, LB, West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West
Micah Dew-Treadway, DT, Bolingbrook (Ill.)
Nicholas Czar, DE, Highland (Ill.)
Elijah Strong, CB, Oak Creek (Wisc.)
Logan Winders, OT, Springfield (Ill.)
The red zone
This week in the red zone: How do admissions standards for student athletes effect the recruiting strategy for the Illinois football program?
The Harvard of the Midwest. That's what some have sarcastically dubbed the University of Illinois when it comes to admissions standards for their student athletes. Just because an athlete meets the academic requirements of the NCAA Clearing House, it doesn't mean they can get enrolled at Illinois.
Currently, the NCAA requires a minimum 2.0 GPA in a core curriculum of 16 academic core courses for Division I participation. In addition, students must achieve a minimum score on their A.C.T. or S.A.T.; currently this is between a sum of 68 to 86 on the A.C.T. (sum of English, Reading, Math and Science) or between 820 to 1010 on the S.A.T. A sliding scale adjusts the A.C.T. and S.A.T score requirements based on GPA.
At Illinois, a prospective student athlete typically must achieve scores that are above and beyond the minimum requirements of the NCAA Clearing House to be admitted to the University.
The UofI Admissions Office also uses what they call the UIGPA, in which they throw out the 9th grade.
It should be noted that the UofI Admissions Office does consider other criteria besides GPA and test scores, and will evaluate prospective student athletes on a case-by-case basis as with any college admissions process.
A once productive summer bridge program that aided Illini coaches in helping athletes gain eligibility is no longer around, despite efforts by AD Mike Thomas and head football coach Tim Beckman to bring it back. The program helped Ron Zook recruit the high level talent that led to an appearance in the 2008 Rose Bowl game. Players who didn't initially meet standards could enroll for the summer semester, perform well, and gain eligibility for admissions to the university.
University President Robert Easter and the Board of Trustees insist that they will not lower admissions standards. That stance is difficult to understand; they wouldn't be lowering them, they would be correcting them. Illinois needs admissions standards that do not put the athletic program at a competitive disadvantage vs. Big Ten rivals. There is no evidence that a restrictive admissions policy for 85 scholarship football players at a public university increases the academic reputation of an institution.
Now in year three, Beckman and his staff understand the type of student-athlete they can recruit to Illinois, and they believe they can win in the current environment. Offers are being given out sooner, and the staff reviews transcripts as early in the players' career as the high schools will provide them. Still, it's harder than it needs to be.
Things will only get tougher. Student athletes beginning in the 2016 class will be categorized as a 1) full qualifier, 2) academic redshirt, or 3) non-qualifier. Academic redshirts will be able to accept a scholarship and practice, but not play in games. The minimum GPA increases to 2.3 in the 16 core courses, and the sliding scale becomes more stringent. New standards will likely result in fewer players eligible to play as true freshmen.
Our proposal:
1. Open enrollment for football recruits who are in-state high school graduates and meet the NCAA Clearing House requirements.
2. Bring back the summer bridge program.
3. Eliminate the UIGPA as a means for measuring eligibility for admission.
4. Allow five out of state exceptions per year to the school's admissions standards.
Extra points
* Starting in March, Orange and Blue News will begin conducting Twitter chats. Follow us on Twitter @IlliniRivals and use hashtag #IlliniChat to track and participate in the chats.
* Former Illini linebacker Jonathan Bown is participating in the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 19-25 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Live coverage of on-field workouts begins Saturday on the NFL Network.
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