Thursday evening was the first time that Bret Bielema’s offensive and defensive coordinators – Ryan Walter and Barry Lunney Jr. - had an opportunity to engage with fans in an intimate setting away from Champaign.

Through the Illinois Tailgate Tour, the Illini athletic department is traveling across the state to seven different locations offering fans an opportunity to interact with coaches, players, and employees of Illinois athletics. On Thursday, the Tailgate Tour stopped in Belleville, Ill., the southernmost stop of the spring to develop relationships with fans in the St. Louis, metro-east area.

Belleville is about 20 minutes east of downtown St. Louis, an area that Illinois athletics has increased marketing and outreach to since the hiring of athletic director Josh Whitman in 2016. Whitman, and the rest of his department, have outlined St. Louis and Indianapolis as important areas for Illinois athletics to have further outreach, in addition to the long-standing relationships in Chicago.

For Walters and Lunney Jr., it was the first time they have been involved with such an event in their time with Illinois. Walters is entering his second season with the Illini after helping evolve the Illinois defense into a top half of the Big Ten unit a year ago.

Lunney is in his first season with Illinois after previously working at UTSA in the same role as offensive coordinator. Because of COVID-19, opportunities for coaches to engage with fans in a similar setting were limited over the last year – but with fewer restrictions surrounding the pandemic, the coaches are able to engage with fans for really the first time.

“It’s awesome to just kind of see how far our brand spreads and to get to other areas of the state,” Walters said. ‘It’s good to see different people. WE are centrally located in the state, so to get to the outskirts and try to get people to come to games in the fall – I think it’s important.”

Both of the assistant football coaches were joined by head wrestling coach Mike Poeta and brand-new women’s swim and diving coach Jeana Kempe alongside former Illinois football offensive linemen and current color commentator on the Illini Radio Network Martin O’Donnell as an emcee for the event.

Coaches spoke about the importance of facilities and what it is like to work for Whitman and later spoke on the changing dynamic of college sports because of name, image, and likeness reform, which is approaching it’s one-year anniversary on July 1. Later, senior associate director of athletics Cassie Arner urged fans to purchase season tickets to football games.

“I think it’s hugely important for the game day environment,” Lunney said of urging fans from the St. Louis area to attend football games. “When they’re more people that are there the more that environment is lucrative. It’s a home field advantage, obviously, but we have to put a product out there that people want to travel a couple of hours to come to watch us play.”

Said Walters: “Anything you can do to try and get a couple more people in the stands, a couple more eyes on the TV to bring more excitement to the program – that’s beneficial.”

The Illini football team has two notable players from the Belleville area in offensive guard Jordyn Slaughter and defensive end, Keith Randolph. Slaughter made an appearance at the event and shook hands and spoke with fans.

“There’s players down here,” Walters said. “We got guys on the roster from over here and just to stay engaged and stay visible – I think that’s very important for the university.

I think you just have to draw like a five-hour radius (from Champaign). We’ve got St. Louis. You’ve got Indy. And you’ve got Chicago that are major markets. I think it’s important to tap into those in total in order to maximize your recruiting footprint to help the program.”

That’s why Walters was excited about the opportunity to meet fans that he otherwise hasn’t been able to in the past.

“It’s gratifying,” he said. “You get to interact with and be present with people that are sitting in the stands on game day. So just see them on a different level and they get to see you on a different level and kind of get to know them in a more intimate setting for sure – that’s refreshing. It reminds you that we have overcome the pandemic and also reminds you how good it is and how good it feels to be present with people that are interested in the same things you are and trying to reach the same goal you are.”