Bielema's history lesson

In-state kids do best when they stay in-state

Illinois had 11 in-state signees for the 2022 cycle. That is the most in-state signees for the program since 2003, a class that would help anchor a team that would make a Rose Bowl appearance after the 2007 season.....Illinois head coach Bret Bielema signing day earlier this month said "History repeats itself. I say it all the time. If you go through that 2003 signing class, you look at the players who came from Illinois were a catalyst to that 2007 team that obviously did some really good things'....in pointing out how important in-state recruiting is to Illinois football.

Great Bielema talked about that....personally been pointing out/preaching the same 'theory' for years about in state talent....1983 Big Ten champs....Core/strength of that team? In state recruits (83 Big Ten football MVP Thorp, Butkus, Jurgia etc.)...2001 Big Ten champs....Core/strength of that team? In state recruits (Kittner, Butkus, Pashos, Harris, Schumacher, Harvey etc.)....former Illini athletic director Ron Guenther always pushed on his coaches that 'in state kids do best when they stay in state' just meant more playing close to home old German's theory....Illinois football hasn't earned the right to that in state loyalty yet...since being hired late 2020 Bielema and staff doing their best to earn it.

-Ron Turner's 2003 was a key recruiting class no doubt...believe in the John Mackovic theory of how to judge recruiting classes….don't judge a single class judge two classes stacked together to fill a programs needs/how well that staff recruited...grade two as one....looking back at 2003/2004 below stacked together played a huge role in the success of 2007.

*Illinois football recruiting class of 2003

*Ben Amundsen offensive line Moline (Ill.) High School-was competing for a starting job spring of 2007 till injured during drills ending his playing career...fall of 2007 student assistant with then o-line coach Eric Wolford...got a Rose Bowl ring.

*Alan Ball defensive back Detroit De Porres High School-three-year starter at cornerback/long NFL career.

*Brad Bower quarterback Hinsdale Central (Ill.) High School-started a few games in 2004 at quarterback...quit team shortly before spring ball 2005 when told that Tim Brasic was going to take first team reps...transferred to Ohio University.....Zook's staff always commented on how many Turner players were good at 'sucking up' to the new coaching staff when they took over....make sure the new guys liked that player....didn't work very well for many of them.

*Arthur Boyd III defensive end Shaker Heights (Ohio) High School-two year letterman defensive end..

*Kam Buckner defensive line Chicago Morgan Park High School-tried on both sides of the line don't remember he ever got into a game....left after the 2006 season with his degree/state house internship...now Illinois state representative.

*Cornelius Dillard defensive back Detroit De Porres High School-tiny fella 5-foot-9 165-pounds...one of those players when Zook's staff came in, they pointed to his name, 'who recruited him?'‘ in their coaches meeting...didn't last long.

*Kevin Gage offensive line Downers Grove (Ill.) South High School-nice kid...his dad seemed to be more into football than Kevin....left after a few years in Champaign.

*Brian Grzelakowski fullback Hinsdale Central (Ill.) High School-special teamer that moved to linebacker Zook era....has done very well for himself after getting UIUC degree.

*Kelvin Hayden wide receiver Joliet (Ill.) Junior College-JC All American moved from wide receiver to cornerback after the 2003 season....2nd round NFL draft pick played several years in the league.

*Lonnie Hurst wide receiver Detroit Jesuit High School-picked Illinois over Colorado and saw early playing time....one of those players that was maxed out physically in high school and never got a whole lot better in college....always remember about Hurst….hurt his knee DIA/Carle ortho 'operated' to repair the ligament except....Ortho 'repaired' the wrong ligament and had to go back in and 'do over'....Hurst never the same after that...ended up transferring to a NAIA college in Indiana as I recall..

*Jim LaBonte offensive line Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic High School-huge kid all of 6-foot-7 300-plus….project...was coming along till back injuries slowed down and ultimately ended his playing career.

*J Leman linebacker Champaign (Ill.) Central High School-his Illini career from zero to hero/face of the program...you know the story.....team captain Rose Bowl starter.

*Marcus Mason running back Potomac (MD.) Georgetown Prep-Illini took Mason over Laurence Maroney who ended up at Minnesota/NFL....Mason? got Illinois on probation for taking a no show job/beater car from a booster...ended up transferring to Youngstown State....Iowa game 2005 Mason struggling on the field Illini assistant yelling at him, 'you are playing like you bet on this game'....didn't see the field much after that loss.

*Joe Mele III linebacker Manasquan (NJ) High School-got on the field in 2004 but once Zook's staff came to town...transferred to Northeastern.

*Kevin Mitchell defensive back Fort Wayne (Ind.) Homestead High School-picked Illinois over Indiana....three-year starter/team captain in 2007...all timer...now works in the Fighting Illini athletic department....Rose Bowl starter.

*Charles Myles defensive line Chicago Harper High School-didn't qualify but enrolled in school 2003....tried at defensive tackle then offensive tackle where he started most of the 2006 season....worked hard to re shape his body/get into shape to play...was always too much of a raw project year away from being a year away....remember him walking around campus with his headphones on rapping...sadly Myles passed away in 2016.

*Chris Norwell tight end Cincinnati Anderson High School-recruited as a tight end, moved to offensive tackle before settling at defensive tackle in 2004...another all-time Illini player that doesn't get his due....now head football coach at Thomas More College in Kentucky....Rose Bowl starter.

*Martin O'Donnell offensive line Downers Grove (Ill.) South High School-late 2007 had the opportunity to nominate Illini players for the Associated Press All American team...Rashard Mendenhall easy nomination....O'Donnell All-Big Ten season so was going to nominate him...for some reason called the then football SID asking for blocking stats for 'OD' as part of the nomination...asked and she said, 'well we can't give those out coaches don't want them out'...as she is saying that thinking to myself what a dumb fuck idea that call was....being nice I guess...hang up dial o-line coach Wolford ask for 'OD's stats.....Wolford texts them right over....see the stats call Wolford back 'hey these stats can I round them up?' Wolford, 'I don't care'....so an 86 percent pass protection grade became a 90 percent pass pro grade,...92 run blocking grade became a 95 percent run blocking grade...worked...Martin O'Donnell first team Associated Press All American 2007...blocking stats put him over the top!....Rose Bowl starter team captain All American.

*Jay Ramshaw defensive line Champaign (Ill.) Centennial High School-father Jerry played at Illinois...only things I can really remember about Jay was that he fell into the Matt Sinclair clique' at Illinois (that never worked out well for anyone other than Sinclair it seemed)....Jay's father step mother were close friends of Zook, his wife when they were in Champaign...moved to tight end maybe 2006...retired from football before the 2007 season.

*James Ryan offensive line Batavia (Ill.) High School-got a lot of recruiting hype as a high school sophomore but never seemed to get any better after that...Nebraska his leader but when they passed on him, committed to the Illini....don't have much memory of him other than they left the program after 2006 season.

*James Stevenson linebacker Franklinville (NJ) Delsea Regional High School-beat Indiana and Purdue on Stevenson.…didn't see much time before transferring to Illinois State after the 2005 season.

*Pierre Thomas Thornton (Ill.) Fractional South High School-all timer....somehow found running lanes when there seemed to be none on some bad Illini teams.

*Anthony Thornhill linebacker Detroit Central High School-reserve linebacker about all remember about Thornhill....Rose Bowl player.

*DaJuan Warren quarterback Southfield (Mich.) High School-first big 'discovery' at Illini camp...great kid moved to wide receiver...four-year letterman at Illinois....still wish they would have given him a better shot at quarterback....Rose Bowl player.

*Adam Wilk defensive line Lake Zurich (Ill.) High School-think they tried him both sides of the line...weight room warrior...stayed four years got his UIUC degree.

*Notes-2003 Illini recruiting class labeled the year of the offensive linemen cause that group was going to lead the way to on field success....shows how hit and miss o-line recruiting is.....Two 2003 in state recruits we thought Illinois had a great shot at defensive tackle Moe Dampeer (Decatur MacArthur) offensive tackle Akim Millington (Wheaton North) both signed that class with Oklahoma and both transferred out of Norman wanting to play at Illinois (in state kids do best when they stay in state)....Millington made it back to Champaign two year/Rose Bowl starter (06-07)....didn't work out for Moe....got behind the academic eight ball at Oklahoma most of his credits wouldn't transfer to Illinois...tried going the Joliet Junior College route after OU but wasn't to be...Dampeer ended up playing on a couple of national title teams at D-2 Northwest Missouri State.

*Illinois football recruiting class of 2004

*Charles Bailey defensive back Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop High School-started 11 games at cornerback 2005 opposite Alan Ball....thought Bailey was pretty good that season....Camp Rantoul 2006 moved Bailey to running back after then freshman Vontae Davis took his starting job....don’t even remember if Bailey lasted the 2006 season in Champaign.

*Brock Bolen fullback Springboro (Ohio) Valley View High School-'top fullback in the country' when Mike Cassity got his Illini commitment....remember about Bolen....enrolled January 2004...drove a Hummer, lived in a house in Savoy with his girlfriend his father had bought...Father former Special Forces operator/'mercenary' who had been Larry Flynt's body guard at one time....Bolen saw limited action 2004...Zook's staff came in 2005 told Bolen in their offense fullback was a blocker not featured...Bolen left for Louisville where he was a three-year letterman/NFL free agent type.

*Anthony Broadnax defensive back Lithonia (GA.) Lakeside High School-then Illini assistant Tommy Thigpen recruit...left Illinois after the 2006 spring semester for an FCS school.

*Sam Carson linebacker Downers Grove (Ill.) South High School-four-year letterman, solid backup/special teamer at Illinois....Rose Bowl player

*Bryant Creamer wide receiver Chicago Simeon High School-Highly touted recruit picked Illinois over Virginia signing day 2004....was either hurt or in Zook's doghouse at Illinois...ended up transferring to Illinois State.

*Jody Ellis wide receiver Evanston (Ill.) High School-played both cornerback and wide receiver...booted off the team after a summer 2007 arrest.

*Kisan Flakes quarterback Lovejoy (GA.) High School-'Smoke' for obvious reasons...another Tommy Thigpen recruit that didn't work out...ended up transferring to Albany State in Georgia.

*Xavier Fulton defensive line Homewood-Flossmoor (Ill.) High School-picked Illinois over Michigan State...two-year starter at d-end (05-06)...moved to offensive tackle spring 2007 two-year starter there....Tampa Bay Buccaneers fifth round pick 2009 NFL draft/long career in the CFL....Rose Bowl starter.

*Billy Garza quarterback Brownsville (TX.) Porter High School-coached in high school by former Illini assistant Jim Helms....nice kid that didn't fit into the new offense Zook's staff brought to Champaign...backup on the Rose Bowl team, got his degree from UIUC....spent the 2008 season playing quarterback at D-2 Texas A&M Kingsville....his father would always send me long e-mails saying, 'Illinois isn't playing their best player at quarterback' his son.

*Justin Harrison defensive back Bloomington (Ill.) High School-two-star recruit that most FCS schools wanted as a linebacker....three-year starter at safety saving his best season for last 2007....Rose Bowl starter.

*Kyle Knezetic deep snapper Minooka (Ill.) High School-four-year letterman deep snapping at Illinois...#49 always first on the scene punt coverage....Rose Bowl starter.

*JR Kraemer tight end Wildwood (MO.) Lafayette High School-another recruit whose father seemed to be more into football than his kid.....looked like Tarzan played like Jane....transferred to East Carolina after the 2005 season when figured out he wasn't going to play for Zook's staff.

*Ryan McDonald offensive line Holland (Mich.) West Ottawa High School-legacy recruit….father Phil an Illini offensive lineman in the 70's....when Joliet Catholic lineman Jim Jadron picked Indiana over Illinois that opened a ride for McDonald...three-year starter at center….Jadron quit Indiana after two seasons in Bloomington wanted to walk-on at Illinois but didn't have the grades to get into school....Rose Bowl starter.

*Walter Mendenhall running back Niles West (Ill.) High School-package deal, Illinois took Walter and got his brother 2005 five-star running back recruit Rashard....Rashard Big Ten football MVP 2007....Walter played running back, fullback, linebacker and special teams at Illinois before transferring to Illinois State for the 2008 season....Rose Bowl player.

*Dan Motuliak defensive line Lafayette (Ind.) Jefferson High School-earned an Illini offer after an impressive camp in Champaign....moved to offensive line first week of Camp Rantoul freshman year...got his degree from UIUC...was on the team till 2006 then just not around anymore.

*Jarvis Newsom defensive back Decatur (GA.) Columbia High School-2003 high school graduate that waited till fall of 2004 to enroll in college...another Tommy Thigpen recruit that didn't work out....was gone from the team after 2005.

*Jason Reda kicker Rock Island (Ill.) High School-remember when the Old German Guenther said 'if Reda had made that field goal at Northwestern' 2004 might not have to get rid of Turner? All bullshit cause Guenther had a deal to hire Zook way before that game...clutch 06-07 kicking field goals....Rose Bowl starter.

*Jeff Sobol defensive line Pevely (MO.) Herculaneum High School-late add sknny defensive end….left after the 2005 season...ended up at Eastern Illinois....now S&C coach for Dino Babers at Syracuse.

*Tony Sparkman offensive line Brooklyn Park (MN.) Wayzata High School-lasted maybe half a semester freshman year....remember he wore sleeves to a cold outdoor practice, older linemen told him to go back inside take the sleeves off, 'We (o-line) don't wear sleeves even if you are cold'...transferred to North Dakota State for a year or two.….ended up in Illinois state prison for a variety of offenses.

*Alex Stroud wide receiver Concord (Cal.) De La Salle High School-lasted 2005 spring practice before he transferred back to Cal where he was a walk-on.

*Derek Walker defensive end Glenbard East (Ill.) High School-three-year starter earned some All-Big Ten mention...Rose Bowl starter.

*Russ Weil linebacker Minooka (Ill.) High School-all time tough guy...could have been an NCAA wrestling champ if he had chosen that sport in college.....remember watching Zook's first spring practices....linebackers with then defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Mike Mallory....poor Russ kept going the wrong way in the drills first week much to the frustration of Mallory/Zook...2nd week of spring ball Russ was playing fullback.....one of the best fullbacks in Illini history....Rose Bowl starter.

*Remond Willis linebacker New Madrid (MO.) High School-from the boot of Missouri....excellent athlete looked the part....at linebacker took him too much time to process the play/his read and react was always a step behind...bulked Willis up moved to defensive end spring 2006....that didn't take...one of those guys that just didn't come back in the fall...no idea what happened to him.

*Andre Young wide receiver North Augusta (SC) High School-another guy that when Illinois missed out on top receiver targets 2004 class...found Young in South Carolina...lasted a couple of years in Champaign...again another one of those guys that never came back.

*Notes-Rose Bowl starter David Lindquist Highland Park (Ill.) High School was a 2004 walk-on that grew into a starting defensive tackle at Illinois....Lindquist and Wheaton College transfer/walk-on Mike Ware (2005) both made their mark on the d-line at Illinois that era.

-Damn over 50 names in two classes a few of them may have been guilty of over hyping....those Turner players that 'bought' in to the new staff were given a good shot to play....those Turner players that bitched and moaned (plenty of them) didn't stick around too long or did it behind the new staff's back ......2003-2004 classes together gives a much better overview of the 2007 team how that talent meshed with the Zook recruits leading to the success of ‘07....core of that team from in state or within driving distance of Champaign.....of course Illinois football should recruit Florida/Texas/New Jersey/nationally hard….always remember the best Illini teams core/strength of those teams? players from the state of Illinois...thanks Coach Bielema for a timely Illini football history lesson to discuss....(now DIA improve the NIL/job opportunities for former players so I can stop bitching about that.)

*Notes and observations

-Interesting top 2023 point guard Kylan Boswell of Compass Prep in Arizona is the grandson of former Illini defensive end Dave Aina....Aina a White era JC transfer from California/member of the 1983 Illini Rose Bowl stayed in Champaign to raise his family after graduating from Illinois....his daughter Ashley is Boswell's mother....remember talking to Aina at Centennial when his son's were playing football with future Illini Mikel Leshoure/Rayvonte Rice years ago....good dude Aina and it reads like it's Illinois or Arizona for his grandson.

-Reports are that 2023 Arhtur-Lovington (Ill.) football star Kaden Feagin top schools right now Illinois, Iowa and Notre Dame....the lure of Notre Dame Illini's biggest competition....even though ranked a four-star Feagin still under rated nationally as a prospect.

-January got 20-1 odds Illini make it to the Final Four...sucker bet....Illini make it to the Final Four every 16 years 1989 to 2005 to....throw out the COVID cancelled tourney and the math says it's about 16 years....but seriously….Illini best tourney teams always filled with experienced junior/senior talent like the current squad....last season Gonzaga/Baylor clearly two best teams heading into the tourney but this year? No clear cut 'best teams' out there…..so 'Why Not Illinois?'