'I had the guy at my house....he ate all my food and drank all my liquor.'
Illini news and notes...
*Bielema finalizes coaching staff...
-Clint Sintim has been named Illinois' outside linebackers coach, head coach Bret Bielema announced. Sintim's contract is pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its next meeting in March.
Sintim comes to Champaign from Virginia, where he spent the previous four years as a defensive coach. He coached Virginia's defensive line from 2020-21, before switching to the team's linebackers coach from 2022-23.
Sintim is a 10-year veteran in college coaching, which has followed his All-American playing career at Virginia and four years in the NFL. After playing in the 2009 Senior Bowl, Sintim was a second-round NFL Draft selection by the New York Giants. He played in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons for the Giants, before a knee injury sidelined him for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Sintim announced his retirement as a player in 2013, after an NFL career that included a Super Bowl XLVI championship when the Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 in Indianapolis. (Courtesy University of Illinois athletics)
Review of the new Illini football assistants...
Defensive backs David Gibbs replaced Anthony Fenelus-Gibbs veteran defensive backs coach big needed upgrade over youngster Fenelus.
Wide receivers Justin Stepp replaced George McDonald-Former Illini McDonald left for Ole Miss....'rumor' was a few of his receivers might follow him to Oxford but turned out un-true.....Stepp more than adequate replacement.....looking forward to seeing how the former South Carolina Gamecock assistant does recruiting for Bielema's program.
Linebackers Archie McDaniel replaced Andy Buh-Bielema's top choices flamed out so....from a coaching standpoint....Buh will be missed....McDaniel’s recruiting well in his native Texas a must.....Bielema on hiring McDaniel.....“Summy (former head coach Kevin Sumlin) was on the phone with me and said, ‘Hang up the phone, call him (McDaniel) and offer the job right now."...Head coach loves to name drop doesn't he?
Outside linebackers Chris Sintim replaced Charlie Bullen-Love it...excellent hire....Sintim has worked his way up the coaching ladder starting at D-2 school (West Alabama) to FCS (Richmond/Delaware) to power five....Illini head coach took advantage of South Carolina/UVA programs being in flux to hire two top assistants in Sintim/Stepp.
Bielema had discussions with NFL assistants about an Illini job...glad he hired college coaches....what is killing college coaching in my view? common refrain 'NIL' sure….bigger culprit?.....24/7 365 recruiting.
Guys that have coached in the NFL don't want to spend all their down time recruiting...aren't used to it....back in the day….John Mackovic's staff would have their 'high school team summer camps' over by mid-June...spend rest of the month/July on vacation....golf course....no recruiting/worrying about player retention....power-five college coaches can't get away with that now.
*Embracing NIL...
-Just my opinion.....Athletic director Josh Whitman figured out that neither Congressional/NCAA legislation of NIL coming anytime soon......He and his coaches/staff now more aggressive in courting pay for play dollars....Whitman has made it very clear he believes in Bielema as head coach/success in football drives rest of athletic department...couple of years ago Bielema reportedly told boosters 'need 2-to-4 million' a year in NIL to have a competitive program.....now that number likely tripled.
AD/his team rumored to be on the verge of landing 'whale' of a financial gift...donor isn't Shad Khan.....booster's donation comes to fruition could be a game changer for Illini athletics.
*Blue-chip wide receiver close to a commitment?...
-Rumor at the Illini NFL Pro Day last Friday 6-foot-2, 170-pound Mt. Zion (Ill.) 2025 blue-chip wide receiver Brayden Trimble close to publicly committing to Bielema’s program.....earlier in the day at the Hall his basketball team lost in the Class 3A semi-finals 65-49 to Chicago Mt. Carmel.....along with Illinois three-star prospect has offers from Nebraska, Michigan State, Iowa, Iowa State, and Northwestern among others.
Trimble's last name sound familiar to old school Illini fans...should...supposedly he is the cousin of Kevin Trimble.....Trimble one of the top athletes ever to come out of East Central Illinois last 30 years....Former Mattoon prep signed with Lou Tepper's program 1994 wide receiver....lasted a few practices pre-season camp before leaving team to 'concentrate' on baseball at Lake Land (Ill.) Community College....Trimble had been drafted by the Seattle Mariners (23rd round) 1994 MLB summer draft....never played minor league baseball/football again....former Illini footballer Morris Virgil's first wife another Trimble cousin.
When read 'freshman year…..Trimble lasted a few days of Illini football practice'...think of another prospect that quit the football team after one day at Camp Rantoul.....Kenny Rogers his name....class of 2000 running back out of Jacksonville, Illinois lasted one practice...struggled with the conditioning test (21 timed 110-yard sprints)...next day decided to 'concentrate on baseball'....can't find anything on Rogers after he left Illinois.
*Media watch...
-Former Illini wide receiver Isaiah Williams has been named the inaugural Loren Tate Media award winner following his final season with the Illini. (Courtesy Champaign News-Gazette)
'Course I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.”…Noah Cross Chinatown
92-year old Tate getting an award named after him covering Illini athletics one way or another close to 70 years....He has always been kind to me….congratulations to Loren for honor/Williams being first recipient... couple of Tate stories I can tell about the real 'mayor' of Champaign-Urbana.
Home football weekends...Fridays would do WDWS Sportsline show held at Famous Dave's in the Round Barn....Tate and Steve Kelly co-hosts...went cause free food (thanks Katsinas family!)...ate like a starving Wolverine....one Friday older fella sitting next to the pavilion we did the show in mean mugging us whole hour....we get up to leave, fella walks up to Tate as he is getting out of his seat says, 'I don't like your opinion of Bruce Weber he is a bad coach and you should write he should be fired' going to say something else before Tate without breaking stride told him, 'you can go fuck yourself’ walked on by....look on the old fella’s face…..priceless.
Before Camp Rantoul 2007-2008 Ron Zook would have a media 'dinner' at his house…..Bill Self did the same when Illini head coach/another reason why Self loved by local media...those that covered Illini football invited for dinner/drinks chance to bullshit with the head coach/his coaching staff/see the house.
For various reasons Zook hated Tate just hated him....Zook's wife Denise disliked Tate even more than her husband...Tate knew that was invited/showed up both years wasn’t missing it...after a disappointing 2008 season...at the IHSA state finals Memorial Stadium...head coach comes up gives me the elbow.....Zook was mad at Tate about something he wrote or said on the radio (Zook all recruiter can't coach or some shit) Head coach says to me, 'hey what about your buddy running his mouth?' Me, 'who is that?' Zook, 'Tate that guy wants us to lose so he has something to bitch about in the paper'....I shrugged.... Zook, 'you know I had the guy (Tate) at my house, he ate all my food and drank all my liquor' Me, 'not my night to watch him it was your SID’s' Zook, 'that fuckin' guy'.…..shaking his head walking up the tunnel...Head coach never invited media to his home again.
For ‘older’ types like me…..Coaches come and go in Champaign….one consistent always been Tate’s coverage of the Fighting Illini.
Speaking of 'media' and food...Riddle me this Batman?....name the recruiting website that usually sends two or three 'reporters' to each Illini game....their guys always first to the pre-game buffet....stuff their faces like they haven't been fed in days (none of the three missing any meals by the way)....forever pissing off other media members who don't get to the trough before those piggies.