"Bo has been quoted as saying that playing at Memorial Stadium is the worst place to play in the United States."

Illini football's rich junior college tradition...

"Bo (Schembechler) has been quoted as saying that playing at Memorial Stadium is the worst place to play in the United States. He's doing us a heckuva favor. That's just what we want to hear. If he's saying it's the worst place, that's just like saying we're the best. We've come a long way if people feel that way. I can't say enough about how the crowd helped us against Michigan."-Illini head coach Mike White after beating the Wolverines 1983.

*2023 recruiting class Bret Bielema's Fighting Illini signed six junior college transfers.....2024 class would expect staff to sign three-to-five JC players.... White era to present....Illinois football has had several outstanding junior college players...below one person’ opinion of the top one's that played in Champaign.

-First let's look at how Illini head coaches have approached junior college recruiting over the years.

*Mike White era (1980-1987)-Older Illini fans know the history of White's time at Illinois and JC transfers...he and his staff got the ball rolling recruiting several junior college players from all over the country with the main emphasis on their ties to the state of California's JC talent...after the 1980 season....'I don't intend to build the entire program around junior college recruits,' White said. 'I think the ultimate success of this program rests with the four-year athlete, many of whom we hope to sign from the state of Illinois.'.....But White said his goal was to build a winner as fast as possible at Illinois and by having JUCOs in the lineup to blend with veterans. 'That gives us a better opportunity to do that." (Courtesy UPI)

*John Mackovic era (1988-1991)-By the time Mackovic took over....cause of Bo/Bobby Knight pushing it....Big Ten had adopted a policy of only junior college transfers a member school could sign had to be qualified out of high school...clear shot at stopping what White had done....most of the top JC recruits in the country went that route cause they didn't qualify out of high school....Mackovic's staff signed a few JC's during his tenure.....Big Ten JC full qualifier 'rule' later rescinded when Bo retired and Knight lost interest....FYI, Knight won the 1987 NCAA title with two JC transfers (Dean Garrett/Keith Smart) in starting five...Smart/Garrett both non-qualifiers out of high school....'rule' wasn't put in till after pair had signed with the Hoosiers.

*Lou Tepper era (1992-1996)-Only JC recruit could find under Tepper?....Mo 'Crazy Eyes' Lawrence defensive tackle out of Mesa (AZ.) Community College class of 1994....couldn't find any record of Lawrence ever playing/didn't letter.

*Ron Turner era (1997-2004)-Majority of JC recruits under Turner recruited to upgrade the wide receiver/defensive back position....middling success....more 'what could have been types' that either flamed out or never made it to campus.

*Ron Zook era (2005-2011)-Staff didn't get academic passes for JC players that Turner's did......JC players they recruited had to be a full qualifier out of high school/non-qualifier a 3.0 or better GPA to get past Illini admissions.

*Tim Beckman era (2012-2014)-in an effort to upgrade roster depth......recruited 19 JC players from 2012-to-2015 (Beckman fired before start of 2015 season) half a dozen became starters...didn't get much out of the rest.

*Lovie Smith era (2016-2020)-Staff recruited a few JC prospects early in Smith's tenure.... much more active in the transfer portal once that kicked in than the JC's.

*From 1980 till present...Illini junior college recruit team on offense...

-Quarterback...

Tony Eason (1980-1982)-'Champaign Tony' out of American River (Cal.) JC...made Illini football relevant nationally......few times when can't sleep....watch that 1982 Illinois at Wisconsin game on YouTube...'On Oct. 23, 1982, the Badgers pulled off the famous "bounce pass" play to take a lead with 52 seconds left, a perfectly executed scheme that sparked only short-lived euphoria for the 78,406 fans in the stands. Illinois came roaring back behind quarterback Tony Eason, and barefooted kicker Mike Bass hit his fifth field goal of the game, a 46-yarder as time expired, for a 29-28 Illinois win.' (Courtesy Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)....that game is nuts if you have never watched it...Eason at his best.

-Running backs...

Daniel Dufrene (2007-2009)-From Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.)....played freshman season at Vanderbilt.... found his way out to College of the Sequoias (Cal.) 2006....1294 yards 7 TD's 5.4 yards per carry three-year career at Illinois....most known for his 2007 TD run vs. Ohio State......after 2006 season Illinois lost running backs EB Halsey/Pierre Thomas....Rashard Mendenhall coming back but staff didn't 'trust' Rashard to be as consistent as he was in 2007 (Big Ten player of the year)....then Illini assistant Reggie Mitchell calls December 2006, 'We are taking a running back named Dufrene JC back keep it quiet till he signs'……can't keep a secret...hinted at it on the message board....sadly Dufrene passed away 2016 ….no reason given….knew Daniel a little bit good kid, quiet very nice/polite...staff never had a problem with him....he passed at such a young age....tough day when I read the news.

Lynn McClellan (1986-1988)-played high school football at Rialto (Cal.) Eisenhower then San Bernadino JC in SoCal....three-year letterman 500 yards couple of TD's dependable backup to future NFL'er Keith Jones at running back...tough to choose two for this position.....some one year wonders like Darrell Smith (Santa Ana Cal. JC class of 1981), Richard Ryles (Sacramento JC class of 1982) or reserve types like Ken Thomas ( Taft Cal. JC class of 1987) Victor Bowlay-Williams (LA Valley JC class of 1986) ....McClellan most yards/lettered three seasons....why picked him....always thought 1983 Illini star running back Dwight Beverly was a JC transfer...nope he transferred to Illinois from Long Beach State's program...49ers not a JC program.

-Wide receivers...

David Williams (1983-1985)-One of three brothers (Oliver/Stephen) to play at Illinois in the 80's....one year at Los Angeles Harbor (Cal.) Junior College....Illinois All-American...College Football Hall of Famer.

Mike Bellamy (1987-1989)-Track star at College of DuPage (Ill.)...redshirted first season in Champaign...Quarterback Jeff George's deep threat 88-89....All-Big Ten first team 1989...2nd round pick of the Eagles.

-Tight End...

Tim Brewster (1982-1983)-New Jersey prep somehow found his way to Pasadena (Cal.) City College after high school....left Illinois as the 3rd leading pass-catcher in program history (behind John Wright Sr./Mike Martin)....All-Big Ten 1983.

-Offensive line...

Isaiah Adams (2022-2023)-Canadian was a JC All-American at Garden City (Kan.) Community College...started every game (guard/tackle) while at Illinois twice earning All-Big Ten mention.....likely 2nd day NFL draft pick next spring.

Arael Doolittle (1985-1987)-Native of Texas played at Cisco (TX.) JC.....6-foot-6, 300-pound tackle....started 14 games at Illinois....started first two games at tackle 1985...staff decided Doolittle wasn't ready....those days coaches could 'redshirt' a player after two games if player was 'hurt'....White went to Doolittle told the tackle he was 'hurt' going to be redshirt....Doolittle protested, 'Coach I am a Christian and that is a lie I don't feel comfortable lying'....White, 'well Arael you want to get hurt in practice?' Doolittle, 'Coach I will redshirt'....whole Christian/lying stuff must have worn off cause....'56-year-old Houston resident has pleaded guilty to a scheme to fraudulently sell 50 million non-existent N95 facemasks to the Australian government, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.....In early April 2020, Arael Doolittle attempted to sell 50 million 3M N95 respirator masks to the government of Australia. However, he actually did not possess them.' (Courtesy Houston Chronicle)......2022 Doolittle sentenced to 56 months in federal prison.

Cam Pepper (1988-1989)-From Victoria, Texas...like Doolittle played at Cisco Junior College....20 starts at guard over two seasons at Illinois.

Finding five JC o-linemen that were decent/lasted more than a season tough....Steve Collier (Butler JC Kan.) started 11 games at tackle in 1982 before leaving the program/ended up playing in the NFL....Jon Janata (Antelope Valley JC, Cal.) came to Illinois as a defensive end/started 11 games at offensive tackle 1982....Dallas Hinkhouse came to Illinois 2013 class JC All-American tackle out of Iowa Western...lettered two-years mostly as a blocking tight end/never could gain enough weight to play on the o-line...then you have guys signed that can't remember playing Jeff DeMaske (Triton College Il./class of 1990), Andy Little (Kilgore JC Tex./class of 1989) Matt Carlton (College of DuPage Il./class of 1997) who was moved to the d-line.

*Illini junior college recruit defensive team...

Defensive line..

Brian Williams defensive end (1988-1989)-Out of Long Beach (Cal.) City College...already enrolled at Illinois when White fired January 1988....two-year starter at rush linebacker/defensive end in Tepper's 'D'....earned All-Big Ten honors after an outstanding 89' season.

Guy Teafatiller defensive tackle (1984-1985)-only JC prospect White's staff signed out of SoCal that had UCLA/USC offers....two-time All-Big Ten pick....I research...recent history shows that Teafatiller only JC player to earn All-conference honors at the defensive tackle position All Big Ten schools not just Illinois....shows what kind of impact the former 'five-star recruit had at Illinois....signed when Illini in SoCal for Rose Bowl....put him on a plane back to Champaign/enrolled at Parkland to finish academics...knew if they left him in SoCal other coaches would continue to pester Teafatiller about changing his commitment......smart move Mike White.

Mike Piel (1985-1987)-Nicknamed 'Gus' by his teammates....story always was then Illini d-line coach Bob Karmelowicz was watching another JC defensive player on film/kept seeing a skinny defensive end making plays, asked, 'who is #55? that's the guy I want to coach' #55 turned out to be Piel..... Came to Illinois as a 225-pound defensive end from Saddleback (Cal.) Junior College...left a 255-pound draft pick/several years playing in the NFL majority with the Rams...how good was the d-end at Illinois?....1987 Piel weekly went up against tackles like Todd Kalis (Arizona State), Tony Mandarich (Michigan State), Paul Gruber (Wisconsin), Bob Kratch (Iowa), Eric Moore (Indiana), Jumbo Elliott (Michigan)....bunch of All-Americans/future first round picks....playing with future NFL first round pick/strong side end Scott Davis, all-time great Moe Gardner at nose....Piel consistently graded out best Illini d-lineman that fall.

Jihad Ward (2014-2015)-Originally from Philadelphia....played at Globe Community College (NYC)...Illini beat West Virginia for the 6-foot-5, 285-pound defender....two-year starter at both defensive tackle/defensive end.......big improvement 2nd half senior season.....impressed enough to be a second round pick of the Oakland Raiders....now with the New York Giants/7th year in the NFL.

Carroll Phillips (2014-2016)-Recruited out of Copiah-Lincoln (MS.) Community College....played both defensive end/outside linebacker at Illinois...earned All-Big Ten honors in 2016....several years in the NFL with various teams/special teams demon.

*Linebackers...

Del' Shawn Phillips (2017-2018)-Came to Illinois from Garden City (Kan.) Community College....top three in tackles two seasons in Champaign...earned All-Big Ten mention 2018....played a few years in the NFL.

Mike Weingrad (1982-1983)-Grew up in Columbus, Ohio....Weingrad's high school wrestling coach got him a football/wrestling scholarship to Hartnell (Cal.) Community College in Northern California...two-year starter at Illinois...led team in tackles 1982...All-Big Ten 1983......drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

Antonio 'Tony' Steele (2006-2007)-'J. (Leman) and Brit (Miller) got all the publicity and they deserve it but Tony Steele that's the guy that did all the dirty work, right place right time and always did his job' then Illini co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch said after the Illini's 2008 Rose Bowl season....recruited out of Long Beach (Cal.) City College....two-year starter ended with over 100 tackles from his weakside position.

*Defensive backs...

Charles Armstead cornerback (1981-1982)-Teamed with Dennis Bishop wearing their bandanas/playing hard till the whistle blew and at times beyond...ask Michigan’s Anthony Carter about that....two-year starter recruited out of Pierce (Cal.) Junior College...earned All-Big Ten honors 1982....bounced around the USFL/NFL before joining the U.S. Amry retiring as a first sergeant (E-9) after multiple deployments to the Middle East.

Kelvin Hayden cornerback (2003-2004)-High school running back/receiver….Committed to Illinois as a Chicago Hubbard prep but didn't have the grades to qualify...placed at Joliet (Ill.) Junior College by Turner's staff....JC All-American wide receiver who was moved to cornerback after the Illini's 2003 season....earned All-Big Ten honors first year playing position...2nd round pick of the Colts/ten year NFL career.....we always called Hayden 'the ladies man'.....true story....him asking then Illini football SID out on a date after practice in 2003….in front of the assembled media legendary...she politely declined, 'Kelvin there are rules against that, can't do it'....media 'when did that become a rule?'.....Hayden must have some good game married actress Taraji Henson.

Bobby Dawson safety (1986-1987)-'The Enforcer'...5-foot-10, 210-pound strong safety out of Sacramento (Cla.) Community College...twice earned All-Big Ten honors...five-year career in the Canadian Football League.

Glenn Cobb safety (1987-1988)-Pasadena (Cal.) City College recruit....two-year starter.....another two-time All-Big Ten pick ...Cobb's position coach 1988 Steve Bernstein called him, 'the smartest player I ever coached great kid great attitude dependable wish everyone I had coached was like Cobb.'

*What could have been...

-Over the years Illini football have signed several 'highly touted' JC transfers that for one reason or another never made it to campus or didn't live up to the hype when they did...below some of those 'what could have been' types that had me excited when they signed...

Elton Veals running back Merritt (Cal.) Junior College-Illini recruiting class of 1982....6-foot-2, 225-pound five-star prospect....called the 'Junior college Earl Campbell'...'Elton and Delton' (Veals JC teammate linebacker Delton Edwards part of the package deal to get the running back to Champaign)...'Elton and Delton' forever in Illini lore.

Mark Tuck defensive end Triton (Ill.) Junior College-Illini recruiting class of 1981....staff reportedly found the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder in North Carolina...didn't qualify so they placed him at Triton...JC Grid-Wire first team All-American....signed but never qualified at Illinois...ended up playing a few years at Nebraska.

Chris Pack defensive tackle Iowa Central Community College-Illini recruiting class of 1981....labeled the 'top junior college defensive lineman in the country'.....6-foot-6, 280-pounder originally from Akron, Ohio....went thru spring drills at Illinois didn’t return in the fall....never could find out why that happened...and lord knows I have tried....HA HA HA.

Scott Mohr quarterback College of San Mateo (Cal.)-Illini recruiting class of 1987....'next great Illini QB' Jim Bennett quit the team 1986...such poor QB play that fall...after signing….White boasted he had 'found our next outstanding junior college quarterback in Scott Mohr'....Mohr looked the part 6-foot-4, 220-pounds only problem....wasn't good at playing quarterback...fumbled the ball what six times in a rainstorm loss to Purdue?....replaced the next week...stayed around for the 1988 season when Mackovic used him a few times at fullback.

Connie Moore wide receiver Northwest Mississippi Community College-Illini recruiting class of 1998....'top JC wide receiver in the country'.…..potential difference maker at a position of great need....Moore didn't make it out of the 98' Camp Rantoul....booted off the team 'behavior'.

James McGill safety Bakersfield (Cal.) Community College-Illini recruiting class of 2002....hyped as a 'difference maker'/big hitter....6-foot-2, 210-pound strong safety 'physical presence the Illini D needed....then Illini defensive backs coach/coordinator Mike Cassity on the road recruiting told McGill she pulled over on the side of the road and got out of his car jumped around for 'five minutes' when was told the safety committed to Illinois....spin short a 'math class' reason why he didn't get into school....told later McGill short several classes and it was foolish for Turner's staff to think they could 'sneak' the JC transfer past admissions....ended up playing at Kansas State...decent starter but nowhere near the player he was 'hyped' up as.

Ismael Abdunafi defensive tackle Bakersfield (Cal.) Community College-IIlini recruiting class of 2005....Zook's staff 'stole' Abdunafi away from Texas A&M few days before signing day....6-foot-4, 300-pounder high school teammates in New Jersey with EB Halsey....that high school connection big reason he picked Illinois....had to complete nine hours of summer school to qualify for Illinois and....half the time didn't show up...why? as one Illini assistant later said, 'Ismael is a turd he thought we would get him into school no matter what, he never listened'.....ended up having a short career at Salisbury State (MD.)

Dwayne Lawson quarterback Garden City (Kan.) Community College-class of 2017....committed but never signed with Illinois...former three-star prospect signed with Virginia Tech out of high school before landing at Garden City....then Illini offensive coordinator Garrick McGee recruited Lawson to run his spread option offense....reportedly telling the QB…..'you (Lawson) are the perfect fit for what we want to do'....Lawson type of player that loved to be recruited....not much love for school/working on his game...never arrived in Champaign...no idea where or if he ever played football after Garden City.