'I hear the train a comin', it's rolling 'round the bend.'

All aboard....drinkin' the Orange Kool-Aid in January.

*Go work in the ACC...

-What about Clemson making a run at a few Illini players/assistant coaches?.....reportedly.....quite frankly....quality of life working for a head coach like Dabo Swinney sucks...just sucks...why it's hard for him to hire....add to it...throw all the cash you want around.......,majority of B1G football programs right now in a better position to win than Clemson/ACC.

*It pays to be a winner...

-News since last writing...All-Big Ten defenders Gabe Jacas/Xavier Scott back for the 2025 season along with future NFL tackle J.C Davis….last week Bret Bielema's program picked up three impressive players from the transfer portal…..they are.

Aussie Keelan Crimmins punted at Mississippi State 2023, Purdue last fall....two years of eligibility....2024 All-Big Ten honorable mention.

6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end Davin Stoffer transfers in from South Dakota State.....former Wisconsin prep with three years of eligibility...several power four offers......'move/motion' type of ‘F’ tight end....wide receiver in high school excellent hands....gives effort not the most physical blocker...staff lost portal tight ends to Florida State/N.C. State/Colorado came back strong when landing Stoffer....Iowa, Illinois among the school's raiding FCS powerhouse Jack Rabbit program for talent after their head coach left to take the Washington State job.

Signed 6-foot-6, 290-pound tackle Aydin Knapik busting on this one....First team All-Conference last fall playing in the very competitive Big Sky conference....one year of eligibility...had ACC/Mountain West offers.....can play either tackle...doesn't have a lot of lead in his ass/effective wall-off zone blocker not a lot of 'pop'.……excellent in pass pro allowing o-line coach Bart Miller to move a tackle like Melvin Priestly inside to guard (where he should be playing)....o-line versatility...big big plus…..told freshman Eddie Tuerk moving from d-line to o-line this spring….He has the potential to be a two-three year starter at tackle or center.

These three players along with previous portal additions....Bielema's staff gets an A grade off-season additions....excellent retention of players....portal built up both sides of the line/added what should be a 'difference-maker' in wide receiver Clement….sure took a couple of boom or bust types…rest over-achievers that want to get the most out of their ability…kind of player Illinois wins with.

*Never too early to look at the Illini's 2025 opponents...

-First look at teams on schedule based on their quarterback/offensive lines coming back.

Western Illinois Aug 30-in over their head in the Missouri Valley.....now in the OVC/Big South went 4-8 in 2024...offensively scored a lot of points last fall (top wide receiver Matthew Henry transferred to Western Kentucky)....couldn't stop anyone on 'D why Leathernecks will have a new coordinator that side of the ball in 2025....opening game scrimmage work the kinks out/get young players field time.

at Duke Sept. 6-damn didn't realize Blue Devils went 9-3 last fall.....starting quarterback Maalik Murphy transferred to Oregon State...All-ACC wide receiver Eli Pancol declared for the NFL draft.....reportedly paid a lot of money to get QB Darian Mensah from Tulane....Mensah good but worth the millions supposedly paid him?….No…..2024 senior heavy squad...kind of game Illini should win with their more physical style.

Western Michigan Sept. 13-Head coach Lance Taylor's team went 6-6 in 2024....lost 14 to the portal including a couple of their top skill position players...picked up 8 including former Illini lineman Hunter Whitenack....recruited the best JC quarterback this class (Brady Jones) out of Riverside (Cal.) Community College....he should be the starter....Broncos rebuilding on offense…..won't stop anyone on 'D'.

at Indiana Sept 20-Lose all everything quarterback Kurtis Rourke....looks like they added 18 in the portal including Cal QB Fernando Mendoza....He made a lot of baller/scramble plays for the Bears last fall/helluva of a beating…..Hoosiers tried to add as many linemen transfers as they could…. which isn't good trying to rebuild up front in a line of scrimmage league like the B1G....Cignetti's team falls back to earth in 2025.

USC (Homecoming) Sept. 20-Trojans so far have lost 21 players to the portal including several former blue-chip recruits.....2024 starting QB Miller Moss benched late in year/transferred to Louisville....replaced by Jayden Maiava who returns….not sure Maiava is the answer either....replacing three starters on the o-line…ever since head coach Lincoln Riley took over Trojans soft on both sides of the line....USC the Illini’s homecoming game….never thought would see that…..Trojans a 'brand' now nowhere near the 'power' once were.

at Purdue Oct 4-Wrote about it before....Purdue lost majority of top returning players to portal....have added over 20 transfers/most of new head coach Barry Odom's UNLV recruiting class...couple of QB's that have been career backups....remember taking Mike Scherer's picture when he worked out at the Illini summer camp...now he is Odom's defensive coordinator…..looks like another lost season for Boilermaker football in 2025.

vs. Ohio State Oct. 11-Likely national champs don't rebuild....reload…..bet I-Hotel already sold out.

Bye week Oct. 18

at Washington Oct. 25-so far have lost 28 players in the portal/gained 14.....putting a lot of faith in first year starter/5-foot-11, 187-pound quarterback Demond Williams Jr…gotta wonder at that size how long will he last in the BIG?….o-line play was......inconsistent last fall......went to the portal trying to rebuild the ‘D’….former Illini assistant/Purdue head coach Ryan Walters now Huskies defensive coordinator....good hire/good coach.....maybe he can save head coach Jedd Fisch's job....not a fan of Fisch.....caught lightning in a bottle at UofArizona parlaying it into the UDub job......arrogant…..one of those guys thinks he is a lot smarter than actually is.

When I see Illinois at Washington.....this story....in 2011 when Mike Thomas replaced Ron Guenther as athletic director....in their one meeting.....Guenther told Thomas he had scheduled a home and home with the Huskies so in 2013 in CU.....Guenther could honor his 1963 team that played Washington in the Rose Bowl.....asked if Thomas could keep the game at Memorial Stadium for his teammates.

One of the first things Thomas did....changed the 2013 game from Memorial Stadium to Soldier Field just to spite the old German....played in front of what 15K?....Fuckin' Mike Thomas.

Rutgers (Dad's Day) Nov. 10-Picked up 10 portal players majority of those re-stock both sides of the line...not shot in the ass by any of the additions....Same crappy QB from 2024 returns…..have become strangely fascinated watching how Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano screws up with his game management mistakes...makes a bunch....Rutgers firm control of their bowl game vs. K-State when....Head coach burning timeouts....not protecting the lead etc....ends up a 44-41 loss....and Schiano struts off the field after like a bulldog trying not to break the potato chip up his ass.

Bye week Nov. 8

Maryland Nov. 15-Recently reported that Terps head coach Mike Locksley had interviewed for the vacant New York Jets head coaching job...yeah that Mike Locksley.....my sense is that Jets wanted to check the Rooney Rule box while looking for a new head coach Locksley satisfies that…..and Lox's powerful agent Trace Armstrong knows another losing season....Former Illini offensive coordinator is done at Maryland...so get it out there 'NFL team is interviewing Lox don't take him for granted'.....my opinion few if any will miss Locksley within that athletic department when he is gone.

His team lost 21 gained 9 so far in the transfer portal….two QB's that played majority of snaps last season left for other programs....so starting at the position this fall will either be a true freshman or a UCLA transfer who ended up 3rd on the depth chart last fall.....O-line always a mess in College Park....and don't even get me started on how many assistants Lox has gone thru since being named head coach

At Wisconsin Nov. 22-Looks like the Badgers lost over 20 players in the portal/gained 18 last time checked.....new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is one of those old campaigners....bounces from job to job running the same mediocre play action/zone scheme....bit of a head scratcher hire…..thought head coach Luke Fickell could do better.....will have new starting quarterback in either Billy Edwards Jr. (Maryland) or Danny O'Neill (San Diego State)....three starters back on what was an above average o-line....have a few starters back on ‘D’ went heavy with portal trying to improve that unit….all the player/staff/scheme changes who knows what this Badger team looks like next fall.

vs. Northwestern Nov. 29-Lost best returning o-lineman (John Thompson) to LSU....two top returning DB's hit the portal....did get some decent transfer linemen/like SMU quarterback Preston Brown....He should be an upgrade at the position from last few years....Cat’s overall talent level isn’t keeping up with the rest of the conference.

-Drinkin’ the Orange Kool-Aid in January-Road schedule isn't daunting.....other than Ohio State any program on the list that Illinois ‘can’t’ beat?.......many of these teams trying to figure out the quarterback position and like the NFL……key to college football now?……figuring out the quarterback position....Bielema's program solid along both sides of the line...productive quarterback in Luke Altmyer....stay relatively healthy no reason why the 2025 Fighting Illini football team shouldn’t be a playoff contender.