CHAMPAIGN – It’s a mixed bag for Illini football strength and conditioning coach Lou Hernandez.

With roughly 35 members of the roster already on campus preparing for the upcoming season – if there is a season – some guys showed off their homework from sheltering at home during the past three months while the world battled a pandemic.

There are success stories, such as linebackers Jake Hansen and Khalan Tolson, quarterback Brandon Peters and tight end Luke Ford.

But there are also guys whose marks on the body fat test were “alarmingly higher than expected,’’ Hernandez said Thursday.

And then Hernandez and the rest of the coaching staff will see just how much football means to the rest of the roster as it begins showing up in July. Coming off a six-win season and the program’s first bowl trip, the coaching staff was hoping for some over-the-top internal motivation to take the next step.

“We had an enormous amount of range,’’ Hernandez said. “We had guys who could do the top work capacity run from Day 1. We had guys come in that needed extra work. Guys are just so excited to be back and have some sense of normalcy.’’

There’s not much normal these days, including the outlook for college football. Athletic directors are trying everything they can do to play football this fall, because it floats the bills for the rest of the department. But with talk of only 20 percent seating capacity filled on game day, it’s obvious this is a work in progress.

The goal for Hernandez is to have his players ready for fall camp while realizing he doesn’t have the time for most Illini to reach their maximum goals. Staying healthy is a key this fall. Some of the Illini guys are closer to starting from scratch than rolling into the summer season ready to add muscle mass to an already conditioned body.

There’s no reference material for Hernandez to follow because no one would voluntarily sideline their players for months at a time. Coach Lou and his counterparts across the country “are navigating uncharted waters,’’ he said.

“It’s not an ideal summer, but it’s a summer,’’ Hernandez said. “We’re going to get the guys into the best shape we can get them in with the amount of time we have to be ready for camp. Once we get to camp, coach (Lovie Smith) and I have to sit down and evaluate to see if guys need a little more work.

“There are still a lot of guys that need adjustment because of significant amount of time lost because of lockdown or specific restrictions. We know what we wanted to do in advance. Once we actually get our hands on these guys, we’re making adjustments on the fly when it comes to it.’’

Typically, the Illini condition in June and bulk up in July. At this point, guys like Hansen, Tolson, Peters and Ford are case studies in preparedness and offseason motivation.

Hansen and Tolson “are leading the charge,’’ Hernandez said. “Brandon Peters looks absolutely incredible. At this moment in time, Luke Ford is showing flashes of everything we expected him to be. These guys definitely put in some sweat and work. You can see that. A lot of these guys are here with a lot of things to prove and to show. It’s really encouraging to see those guys.’’

Then there is the other end of the spectrum, such as defensive tackle Calvin Avery, who’s expectations and street cred from the recruiting battle left lots of weight on his shoulders.

It’s still there, Hernandez said, “literally and figuratively.’’

“He’s a constant struggle,’’ Hernandez said. “It’s an issue. We have to try to help him as a staff manage what he does outside the weight room. I’m proud he’s here to acknowledge that he does need the extra work. We’re definitely headed in the right direction for him to be an early returner to put work in. He’s already starting to show signs of improvement. This staff is his best support structure. We’re proud to be that for him.’’

More than half of the roster hasn’t yet returned to campus, either because of concerns about COVID-19 or because there’s an opportunity to put off the hard work that it takes for football teams to win in October, November and perhaps another December bowl game. Reading between the lines, Hernandez is concerned with how the rest of the Illini will show up in July, because he already has his hands full with projects from the first batch.

The NCAA didn’t allow for any monitoring or tracking system, so Hernandez will see what he gets when those players arrive on campus.

“Guys who couldn’t come to Champaign, the biggest thing we’re trying to talk about is to make sure they’re doing something to stay active,’’ Hernandez said. “If it really matters to them to be successful, we’re going to find out. We’re going to see how much it meant to them to take care of business. We’re hoping our team had a little bit of success last year. What we want them to know is that six wins is just average. I’m not an average strength coach. Lovie is not an average coach. We hope they don’t just think they’re average football players.’’

The weight room is limited to 10 men at a time, nine players and a strength coach. The Illini are utilizing both the new weight room and the former football weight room, the one handling Olympic sports these days. While Hernandez can’t get face-to-face with the Illini during their workouts in the up-close and-personal way where sweat is shared from player to coach, he’s still trying to elbow bump and pump these guys up.

“I expect our guys to be in shape to play football in September,’’ Hernandez said. “With the time we have missed, we’re not going to be exactly where we’d like to be for ultimate goals.’’

The Illini’s goal is like everyone else in college football. Survive these uncharted waters.