'Just carrying on...

An old family tradition'

*If your reading this know how much I enjoy writing about Illini football history.....Chase and Sydney Brown both had 'outstanding' weeks at this year's Senior Bowl showcase for 2023 NFL draft prospects....quarterback John Paddock transfers from Ball State to Illinois, grandson of former Illini All Big Ten wide receiver John Wright Sr./nephew of wide receiver John Wright Jr....top five football 'family tradition' father/son/brothers/uncle combinations?

1. When you say Butkus...you have said it all-Butkus' poster boys for the Illini football family tradition....Dick.... nephews Mark (1980-1983)....Luke (1997-2001)....Family full of all conference/all american picks, captains of Big Ten championship teams....Luke brother Josh on the Illini football S&C staff late 90's....think Dick's brother also walked on at Illinois for a year or two Pete Elliot era....quite the Illini legacy the Butkus'.

2. Nine seasons of Williams at wide receiver-Oliver (1981-1982)…David (1982-1985)….Steven (1985-1989)....Oliver 'top JC wide receiver' in the country’ out of Harbor Community College in SoCal...All Big Ten....Bears draft pick....David out of Harbor year later....college football hall of famer...Steven four-year letterman All Big Ten pick 1989....David Williams likely still thinks he should have a statue somewhere in Memorial Stadium HA.

3. Brown(s) deliver-whoever on Lovie Smith's staff talked the pair into transferring to Illinois from Western Michigan gold star on your chart....both All Big Ten picks/difference makers last two seasons leading program back to respectability....safety Sydney likely 2nd day NFL draft pick (2nd/3rd round) while running back Chase see as a 3rd day pick (5th to 7th round).

4. Easy as one two three....The Jacksons-Bobby (1997-2001) 25 game starter at safety All Big Ten/team captain 2001 Illini Big Ten champs...Marc (1999-2003) four star recruit 15 game starter.....father Robert Sr. Illini wide receivers coach (1998-2004) developed Brandon Lloyd, Walter Young, Greg Lewis, Aaron Moorehead among others during his time in Champaign.

5. Got a Rose Bowl trip out of it-Rashard Mendenhall (2005-2007) Big Ten MVP 2007, true difference maker when motivated....his older brother Walter (2004-2007) lettered twice at Illinois staff tried to get him on the field one way or another playing running back/fullback/linebacker/special teams in Champaign....Illini head coach Ron Turner/assistant Dan Roushar rated Walter marginal Big Ten prospect but knew take him get year younger brother Rashard.....package deal when Turner fired after 2004 season.....Rashard stayed true to his Illini commitment signing with Zook's program....hey RM5 got me a trip to the Rose Bowl always be in my top five.

*Williams back in Champaign...

Illini hoops great Deron Williams back in Champaign last weekend dedication of the renovated Ubben Basketball practice facility....Class of 2002 prospect Williams recruitment another example of 'never know what will happen' can't measure intangibles....His high school teammate at the Colony's (Texas) five-star guard Bracey Wright (Indiana) more touted....Williams final three Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Illinois....He loved the Georgia Tech point guard tradition (yeah Yellow Jackets did have a strong hoops tradition at one point)....Tech head coach Paul Hewitt took a commitment from blue chip point Jarrett Jack (Ft. Washington, MD)....Jackets out on Williams...shortly after Vols head coach Buzz Peterson took a commitment from Las Vegas point C.J. Watson....with the recruiting dominoes falling....Williams commits to Bill Self's Illini.....Self loved Williams not only for the talent but his toughness, chip on the shoulder to be the best....excellent eval Billy Gillispie....Jack NBA player...Watson bounced around the NBA for years.....neither had close to the career in the league Williams did...Hewitt/Peterson fired....all know what happened to Self.

*Illini football signs Central Illinois prospect to a letter of intent earlier this month...

Mac Resetich defensive back Spring Valley (Ill.) Hall High School-6-foot-1, 210-pounder was committed to play baseball at Black Hawk College (Moline)...till a big senior season put him on the Illini's radar.....Hall High School 60 miles north of Peoria...last player Illini signed out of Hall Mike Suarez tight end class of 1990....Suarez moved to offensive tackle, three-year letterman (92-94) started 14 games at right tackle in his Illini career before playing for the Patriots/World League team in London with ‘Perry, Perry Refrigerator Perry’.

Resetich on film-playing QB looked like varsity vs. JV when he ran the ball....physical, can break down and tackle properly....even though he played small school competition can see that burst, agility, balance of a Big Ten prospect in his HUDL highlights.

Love it...Illini head coach Bielema played for Hayden Fry at Iowa....Resetich right out of the Fry playbook...versatile small school player by far best athlete on the field can be developed into a safety/linebacker/wide receiver...throws/runs the ball well enough can be a threat as a wildcat QB....type that is going to work hard, make the most out of the opportunity, loyal to the colors....impact on the and off the field.

*Under Bielema walk-on program has become a priority....so far six 2023 graduates have pledged to the Illini as preferred walk-ons (when they get on the field get a scholarship usually the deal)....film evals of six below.

Ronan Poynton linebacker Iowa City (IA.) Regina High School-father former Chicago Heights Marian Catholic grad/Hawkeye offensive lineman...mother former Iowa swimmer....top high school wrestler.....Regina small school competition.....listed 6-foot-3, 220-pounds....looks like a tweener on defense not quite fast/quick enough for linebacker Big Ten level frame not quite thick enough (skinny lower body) to bulk up to play d line loved him at fullback tight end....looked better moving forward on offense vs. side to side on defense...utility type that could be developed into a contributor on either side of the ball.

Joep Engbers nose guard Oak Park (Ill.) Fenwick High School-6-foot-3, 310-pounder looked better at nose guard than offensive tackle senior film....played a couple of years at IMG Academy in Florida before transferring to Fenwick....reported MAC/C-USA type of offers before his senior season.....off film have a hard time believing those reported offers were committable....huge kid effective as a straight line nose guard that can occupy two blockers inside...when he has to move side to side....loses balance/not agile plays too upright losing leverage.....plays hard/with enthusiasm but limited athlete for Big Ten level.

Henry Engel line Lena-Winslow (Ill.) High School-if anyone ever makes a bio pic of the 'man who made Milwaukee famous' pro wrestler The Crusher Engel could play a young Reg Lisowski in it....6-foot-2 strong side end on defense/guard....another top high school wrestler....try hard type that looks like he has the frame to play nose guard or a strong side defensive end...similar in build/physical talent to current Illini d-tackle/former walk on Bryce Barnes out of Gibson City.

Johnny Schmitt defensive back Chicago St. Rita-excellent football player...makes plays all over the field....instinctive, form tackler, can be a special teams demon....listed at 190-pounds doesn't look like it...has a skinny frame/thin in the shoulders/lower body which is probably why Big Ten teams didn't offer him a scholarship...can hear B1G assistants watching Schmitt questioning his size/size potential not going to take a chance....excellent walk-on pickup by the Illini one way or another type of player hard to keep off the field.

Patrick Mahoney long snapper Glenbrook (Ill.) North High School-6-foot-2, 205-pounder....his snaps on field goals/extra points most impressive quick accurate right into the holder's hands.....punt snaps above average...hustler covering punts.

Nick True tight end Algonquin (Ill.) Jacobs High School-6-foot-5, 200-pounder...played tight end/boundary X outside wide receiver for Jacobs last fall....long arms soft hands stuck his face in there aggressive blocker at tight end....on special teams showed ability to break down tackle/change direction without losing balance....talk Illini might try True at stand up defensive end/outside linebacker...with his length/athletic ability that's an interesting prospect to keep an eye on.

*Story time...

Not an Illini tale....when the Bears were going to draft Joe Montana.....told to me by an old NFL scout that at the time....working for the Monsters of the Midway.

Morning of the 1979 NFL draft.....Chicago Bears general manager Jim Finks drove to his office intent on taking Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana in the third round.....NFL scouting bureau's like BLESTO/National had Montana rated a fifth-round pick...after studying the QB on film/positive recommendation from the Irish staff....GM felt he could 'steal' Montana that day.

Every year when drafting Finks would have three players he liked the most in each round listed on the Bears draft board....1979 Bears had the fourth and ninth picks in the first....Finks top three pre-draft Dan Hampton defensive tackle Arkansas, Barry Krauss linebacker Alabama and pass-rushing linebacker Al Harris Arizona State....fourth pick Bears take future Hall of Famer Hampton....sixth pick Colts take Krauss....ninth pick Finks gets Harris.

2nd round three players Finks 'liked' James Owens wide receiver UCLA,....Theotis Brown running back UCLA....Tulsa wide receiver Rickey Watts.....first pick 2nd round 49ers take Owens....few picks later Seahawks take Brown....Bears take Watts who......great speed, poor hands up and down career in Chicago.

Third round Finks' three names Montana....Joe Bostic tackle Clemson picked 64th by the Cardinals....Jim Haslett linebacker Indiana (PA.) who was off the board taken 2nd round by the Bills.....Bears 66th pick 3rd round.....Finks always preached 'we take the best player available on our board regardless of position' 'we do all this work on the draft board and when time comes, we take the highest rated player'....Chicago pick comes and 1978 SEC player of the year/Georgia running back Willie McClendon still on the board.....Bears had McClendon rated a top 40 pick same grade as UCLA's Brown running back position....yeah even with Walter Payton, Bears looking to add a back to replace Roland Harper/give Payton a talented backup....staying true to his board.....Bears pass on Montana, pick McClendon.

Finks thinking no one else had Montana rated as high as the Bears did....in the process of making a deal with the Bills for the first pick of the 4th round to take the Notre Dame QB when...last pick 3rd round.....Niners take Joe Montana......Finks couldn't believe it....no one had San Francisco in the market for a quarterback much less taking Montana that early.

Montana and UCLA wide receiver/Niners 2nd round pick Owens same agent..... unbeknownst to the Bears Niners head coach Bill Walsh had gone down to UCLA to work Owens and Brown out few weeks before the draft....Montana there throwing passes to the pair....Walsh came away from the workout thinking, 'This Montana is a lot better than a fifth round pick'....took the QB despite his scouts telling the head coach Montana, 'reach pick he will be there later'.

As we know.....Bears organization never been in the business of developing QB's so hard to think Montana in Chicago would have become 'Hall of Fame' Montana....Quarterback went to the right coach/offense becoming an all-time great.....who knows what happens to his career if McClendon hadn't still been on the Bears draft board that afternoon in 1979.

Willie McClendon played for the Bears from 1979 till 1982....career stats in Chicago 94 rushes for 369 yards before being released 1983.

Jim Finks one of the best general managers in NFL history....drafted Payton, brought Buddy Ryan to Chicago.....majority of his picks (especially on defense) built the 85' Bears...before Chicago Finks GM in Minnesota turning the Vikings into a Super Bowl team.