'Coach we need to talk about my son's money.'

Pithy thoughts and notes...

*Illini football pick-up line commitment...

-6-foot-7, 310-pound 2026 offensive lineman Casey Thomann has committed to Bret Bielema's program....The Olney (Ill.) High School product has early offers from the likes of Iowa, Iowa State. West Virginia, Northwestern, Virginia along several MAC schools....always remember when see that town/high school late/great Illini grad/broadcaster Jim Turpin from Olney...took great pride in his hometown.

On film.....Thomann huge kid that dominates poor competition....wins 2nd step consistently/plays with knee bend/above average feet/good job hitting a moving target open field....after school workouts impressed every coach that stopped by/reason gained all so many early offers playing that competition....tools to be a Tony Pashos type of right tackle in a power blocking scheme.

-Former Illini 'blue chip' point guard Andre Curbelo.....booted off the Southern Mississippi team recently...left Illinois transferred to St. John's wasn't asked back after last season....had a connection to Hattiesburg program and they lost patience with his behavior too....not surprising.

Curbelo no doubt physical talent....wears out his welcome quickly cause of his attitude/behavior....someone will always give him a chance cause of the 'talent'/coach thinks he can fix Curbelo....nope cause of attitude/work ethic...will always disappoint….yeah I know all the CU on and off the court stories about him…most are true.

-Trent Harris named outside linebackers coach replacing Clint Sintim....'Alex Panos was promoted to co-outside linebackers coach, head coach Bret Bielema announced.'(Courtesy Illini athletics).....Harris a former NFL/University of Miami (Fla.) player....Panos of course a Badger...his father Joe an All-Big Ten o-lineman in Madison/one of Bielema's biggest boosters when he was Wisconsin head coach.....Bielema admitted he demoted Sintim early in the 2024 season....Panos/Harris coached the position....who the hell recommended Sintim? Don't listen to that guy anymore.

Got me thinking....worst recommendation coach gave an Illini head coach? Plenty to choose from….always come back to Notre Dame's Lou Holtz pushing Tom Beck on Lou Tepper.

Tepper and Holtz both coached at William and Mary....Tepper huge Holtz fan....then Notre Dame head coach Holtz had hired the Grand Valley State head coach Beck to help 'modernize' his Irish offense...after one season as offensive coordinator in South Bend....Holtz knew he had to get rid of Beck...talked Tepper into hiring him as his first offensive coordinator (1992).

Beck infamous for trying to make 5-foot-9 touch passer Jason Verduzco into an option QB.....installing plays only practiced Friday walk-thru calling them on Saturday...made fun of AD Ron Guenther 'you know I kicked his teams ass' when both were coaching D-3 (Beck at Elmhurst College Guenther at North Central) in 70's......gone after a year...Beck became an NFL scout....still thinks was screwed over in Champaign.

-After working as a Maryland grad assistant last fall...former Illini great/NFL first round pick Corey Liuget named Terps new defensive line coach by Mike Locksley last week.

Remember his recruitment well....his recruiter 'reportedly' had a deal with Illini boosters nicknamed Money Mike/Smokey/The Governor to get Liuget to Champaign/keep him there...assistant 'buddies' with Liuget's 'mentor' the connection.

Afternoon of signing day young man's mother called head coach Ron Zook demanding her son get out of his signed letter of intent cause...both LSU and South Florida had 'offered' better deals...reportedly...HA HA HA....after the call Liuget's recruiter got on the phone with his 'mentor'…mother stopped calling head coach about her son’s ‘deal’.

-At the NFL combine....Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham (top ten draft pick) mentioned his agent was Ryan Matha...yes the former Illini defensive tackle now an NFL agent working for the Drew Rosenhaus group.

He has over a dozen clients including several first round picks....when Zook's staff first hired...met their new 'team'.....one assistant about Matha, 'that guy is a huge ass kisser....phony...someday he is going to make a great used car salesman'....sports agent used car salesman not a big difference between the two other than you know...the money.

*'Guess that Illini assistant coach'...

-Switching it up this newsletter....guess that former Illini assistant football coach.

Hired off a Mid-American staff as a top 'up-and-coming' assistant/top recruiter....defensive side of the ball...grew up in the same hometown in Arkansas as the then Illini head coaches wife...He had moved to the mid-Atlantic area for high school.

Recruited the south hard for the Illini...signed six players over his two seasons in Champaign...all of them stunk....most highly touted recruit signed had the nickname 'Smoke' cause of the weed....course that player got booted off the team for…..weed……trying to get a ‘pipeline’ going signed all these prospects from the south and none lasted more than two seasons….transferred to lower level programs.

Rumored to be on a recruiting trip to Florida....'lost' his DIA issued cell phone lost contact with head coach for a week before announcing he had taken a job on another staff....other rumor was assistant's wife was scalping comped tickets to watch a very hot Illini hoops team...has had a long college coaching career...still at it last I checked.