'How we’re going to pay for it? It felt like the prudent move to hit pause on that for the time being.'
Ranking commitments, replacing O'Donnell, Illini wrestling...
*With camps/summer official visit season over….ranking the ten current 2025 verbal commitments to Bret Bielema’s Fighting Ilini as we head into the recruiting dead period.
1. Carson Boyd quarterback St. Louis Christian Brothers High School-People whose opinion I respect say Boyd as a player....'Great presence/maturity/talented...is a leader'….what's not to like about all of the above at the most important position on the field.
2. Michael McDonough interior offensive line Tinley Park (Ill.) Andrew High School-Expect big things at guard or center (hopefully center) from the top in-state interior line prospect...in my opinion.
3. Isaiah White defensive tackle Indianapolis Ben Davis High School-Think Bielema's staff stole one here....hopefully rest of the country continues to 'sleep' on White.
4. Brayden Trimble wide receiver Mt. Zion (Ill.) High School-Keeping top local talent...local.
5. Andre Lovett defensive back Blue Island (Ill.) Eisenhower High School-Love his versatility can be an effective center field safety...athletic/physical enough to be in the box playing the 'star' position.
6. Desmond Straughton defensive back Roseville (Mich.) High School-Can play safety/nickel cornerback....Beat Michigan State for Straughton....even though rated a top ten prospect by most in state of Michigan...like White think Illinois 'stole' one in Straughton.
7. Davion Chandler wide receiver Indianapolis Lawrence North High School-Reportedly visited Indiana last weekend....game-breaking slot receiver wherever he ends up….Monday noon update: Chandler de-committed from Illinois now an Indiana Hoosier commit…not surprising.
8. Cameron Brooks defensive line Homewood-Flossmoor (Ill.) High School-Not as big on his talent as some...told Brooks 'great character/hard worker'….attitude type of player every program needs....give staff the benefit of the doubt on taking this commit early.
9. Griffin Rousseau offensive line Stoughton (Wis.) High School-6-foot-7, 300-plus project...from a High School program that has ties to Bielema since his days in Madison.
10. Xanai Scott defensive back West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman High School-Brother of current Illini cornerback Xavier...not shot in the ass by this commitment...get it...brother of current player from a school Illinois wants to continue to get talent from....in his highlights looked better on offense than 'D'.
*Illini news and notes...
-Last week during a media session Illini athletic Josh Whitman confirmed.....'The previously announced Illinois Wrestling Training Center scheduled to break ground this spring is on hold’.....'As we start to contemplate some of these new expenses and new opportunities for us to invest in our student-athletes, we need to determine whether that five or six million dollars was the right way to spend it and just until we have some clarity around what this is going to look like,” Whitman said. “How we’re going to pay for it? It felt like the prudent move to hit pause on that for the time being.' (Courtesy WCIA-TV Champaign)
Athletic department received a 10-million dollar pledge to get the ball rolling on the much needed new wrestling facility....expected to be a 12-million dollar project...price now 15-million...in the current NIL landscape...AD feels that extra 5-million goes to better use paying athletes than on a non-revenue sport.
So disappointing....new facility could have been a game-changer for wrestling...been a fan since Ron Guenther hired Mark Johnson away from Oregon State as head coach early 90's……Growing up in the Quad-Cities...we all knew who Johnson was....prepped at Rock Island Alleman...All-American at Michigan...Made the 1980 Olympic team….Gable's top assistant for the glory years at Iowa...family friend Matt Lackey from Moline one of the best Illini wrestlers winning a national title in 2003.
For various reasons....Illini wrestling has fallen since Johnson left after 2011 season...facilities at Huff out-dated (that’s being nice)...keeping Johnson assistant/good guy Jim Heffernan head coach for too long another.…..2017 losing assistant coach/top recruiter Mark Perry to the Hawkeye wrestling club....talent in the state isn't what it once was....states of Ohio/New Jersey/Pennsylvania now have large majority of top recruits….competing in the best conference for college wrestling doesn’t help either.
DIA showing a commitment to wrestling with the new building.....instead....Program wrong place/wrong time with NIL taking over 'how do we pay for it?' facility conversation....sign of the times.
-Replacing O'Donnell...
Two names keep hearing as possibilities to replace Martin O'Donnell as color guy on the Illini football radio broadcasts....Ken Dilger and Carey Davis....former Illini tight end Dilger has done pre-post game work on Indianapolis Colts broadcasts....Davis worked as Illini sideline reporter few years back...Former fullback would likely have to give up coaching high school football in St. Louis if he took the job.
-Illini football staff has enough people to storm Normandy...
Champaign News-Gazette this week reported..."Bret Bielema, who heads up an ever-expanding 50-person football staff’...Whitman knows football going to drive the bus to the super league for the Illini and has made a big commitment to 'winning' with Bielema.
For years my view-'Illinois isn't committed to winning in football'.....can't say that anymore...50-plus staffer working in a state of the art football facility?...times have changed…’old days’ maybe 20-22 staffers including coaches bare bones….some perspective past ‘lack of commitment’ told about observed over the years.
-First few seasons in Champaign, Mike White's grad assistants 'office' a tent next to the stadium’s east side concession area/'weight room’ a fenced in cage under the horseshoe....John Mackovic couldn't get an upgrade to the football offices...new carpet/color TV's on the wall for assistant coaches to watch film etc....’lack of commitment’….one of the reasons he left for Texas (yeah I know Mackovic leaving regardless admitting later it was a mistake)
What about Lou Tepper's strength coach ‘Solatire’ Leo Ward? Hired in 1987 he was the brother in law of AD Neale Stoner’s top staffer Vance Redfern….Tepper tried to get rid of Ward….nope that guy must have had some great leverage within the athletic department stayed on for years one form or another….Turner/Zook staff’s having to show recruits basement weightroom…Zook’s staff always bitching about being nickel and dimed on their expense reports…being forced to drive a Taurus rental when all their competition showed up in new SUV’s to visit recruits…little shit like that making coaches jobs harder.
Tim Beckman losing assistants cause….got better financial offers or they just didn’t want to work for Tim Beckman….Lovie Smith…….the former Bears head coach didn’t quite get the ‘commitment’ Bielema has…close…just didn’t get the job done.