'My admissions worse than your admissions.'

20 years fly by....

*'My admissions worse than your admissions'...

-Summer 2010 sitting in head football coach Ron Zook's office....He was talking about a recruit they couldn't get into school...'fuckin' admissions killing us again'...which has been a common theme from his staff.

Zook was buddies with then Wisconsin Badgers head football coach Bret Bielema....Zooker that day tells a story about how frustrated Bielema said he was with admissions in Madison...pair got into a friendly argument to decide which schools admission department was hurting their programs more?....tipped off by a reader...got a kick out of Bielema's press conference last week where he addressed his frustration with.....Illini admissions...went and watched the replay.

‘One of the biggest battles we fight here at the University of Illinois is being able to get kids (out of the transfer portal) enrolled in school......Everybody goes on break here before Dec. 25th and doesn't come back until Jan. 10. That's a big-time problem for us. We also have some rules here within the University of Illinois that restrict us from being able to get older players enrolled.’

‘Art Sitkowski was the first transfer I took here at Illinois and after I signed him, we had to go through a litany of jungle gym-type hoops to get him here and then he had a lot to make up academically once he got here.’

I laughed....after all his talks with Zook.....if Bielema didn't know what he was getting into at UIUC in regards to admissions?....c'mon....I get it....Bielema learned 'media/fan manipulation' from the best Iowa's Hayden Fry….laying out the particulars has his excuse if Illinois struggles in the transfer portal….great way to get fan sympathy.....'admissions'....when in doubt coaching at Illinois...blame admissions...some things never change.

*Time flies…

-Twenty years ago this time of year....walked into the Illini football players lounge to a 'meet and greet' media session with Zook and his new staff...remember it well...previous fall Darren Bailey and I were 'kicked' out of the press box/covering the team cause head coach Ron Turner accused us of 'leaking' practice information on-line giving opponents an advantage.

Turner such a thin-skinned red-ass knew he was on thin ice job-wise fall 2004...incident he was referring....one of his dumb-fuck nephews (assistant coach) left the first 15 offensive play sheet on a bench Friday after walk-thru before playing Western Michigan....Illini barely won and after the game one of the assistants asked Broncos coach, 'how did you know what we were doing on offense?'.....opponent, 'oh we read about it on the internet'....not letting on play sheet was left behind/found/used by Western Michigan.

Not knowing if would be 'allowed in' after ban....said, 'fuck it' made the two-hour trip down to Champaign nothing to lose....hoops had been in Las Vegas recently and majority of media hadn’t gotten back from covering Weber’s team...that Sunday afternoon it was me, one News-Gazetter, Steve Kelly of WDWS and several local backup TV guys there to interview new staff…..SID happy someone/anyone showed up so I was in.

Went well...they all were all favorable to internet recruiting sites....met offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, o-line coach John Wickline, just named assistant head coach Reggie Mitchell, Curt Mallory defensive backs, Dan Disch special teams….Turner holdovers Mike Mallory and Tommy Thigpen named linebackers coaches (Thipgen would leave few weeks later to coach at his alma mater North Carolina)....Fedora/Wickline/Disch arrived fresh from the Florida Gators Saturday night bowl game.

We were told Randy Melvin was being hired off the Rutgers staff to coach d-line…He wasn't available yet (Melvin stayed for a month before leaving CU for the Cleveland Browns)….Tyke Tolbert coming from NFL to coach wide receivers (he never made it to CU)......another Turner holdover Harry Hiestand was technically still on the staff named tight ends coach….he wasn't showing up...few weeks later announced Lovie Smith hired pair……Turner Bears offensive coordinator/Hiestand his o-line coach.

Fedora/Wickline flew up to Champaign to tell Zook in person that day they had gotten an offer from Oklahoma State…gave Illinois chance to counter….(of course AD Ron Guenther didn’t)…so off to Stillwater a day later they went.

FYI...Turner found out later fall his nephew left the play sheet on the field…..we were still banned....lost any respect I had for the guy blaming it on the 'internet' why his team struggled that day....almost forgot….we were threatened 'if you show up at practice or games campus police will be called'....Zook's staff understood the power of the internet to promote a program helped bring the DIA into the 'modern era' of how to market a program using the puter'….twenty years ago…time really does fly.

*Good, bad and ugly....

-In regard last weekend's college football playoff games…..team with the best lines won every game…..football hasn’t changed.

The good...salute to the 'Ice Cream Man' Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen....great gameplan vs. SMU...disguised his coverages/blitz packages so well the Ponies quarterback/o-line didn't know whether to shit or wind their watch....Head coach Rhett Lashlee’s one-trick pony spread offense no answers….SMU looked like the JV offense playing the varsity 'D'.

The Bad....Indiana's offensive staff...great year Hoosiers that being sai....poor gameplan/adjustments by Curt Cignetti's staff....someone on the 'O' staff has to watch film be realistic, 'hey if we run our regular offense....we are going to struggle to block these guys'.…..talented Notre Dame defensive line...strategize….nope...IU runs 'their stuff'/gets stuffed...early in the game Fighting Irish give Hoosiers opportunity to score/take lead off a turnover and...IU runs their stuff 'D' totally prepared stuff Hoosiers.…..such a small margin for error Cignetti needs to realize time and place of contest…. 'have to have it plays' ready go to get momentum....nope...don't score...Notre Dame gets ball back…..Long TD run....down 14-0 Hoosiers start trying different plays...way too late....coaching malpractice.

The Ugly....love the SKYCAST broadcast offered on the Tennessee at Ohio State game....see what the quarterback sees all-22 view...when Vols playing a 4-3 under scheme on ‘D’….Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly with formation/motion totally confused Tennessee leading to strongside of the ‘D’ becoming the weakside and when that happened….Buckeye QB/running backs ran right to the vacated areas for big gains…happened at least five times…add to it…Vols on ‘D’ taking timeouts only ten men on the field/penalties 12 men on the field…former Illini assistant Tim Banks Tennessee defensive coordinator.

*Get tackle J.C. Davis some more NIL cash now…

-‘The NCAA Division I Board of Directors on Monday approved a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to former junior college transfers in similar positions to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia opening the door for a wave of college athletes across all sports to spend one more year in college athletics.’ (Courtesy ESPN)

Illini left tackle J.C. Davis played a year at Contra Costa (Cal.) Community College so should be eligible for another college season….would be a huge positive to get the All-Big Ten player back in 2025….when saw the waiver….thought, ‘Bo’s head would have exploded if this happened in his day…..Mike White playing 25-year old JC transfers vs. Bo’s 20-year olds’….would have loved to see it.

*Scouting the Illini transfer portal additions…

-Below recent transfer portal additions for Illini…

Committed….6-foot-6, 290-pound defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. the former Wisconsin Badger has one year of eligibility…’Thompson Jr. missed the majority of the 2024 campaign after a torn pectoral muscle suffered in training camp. He returned to play seven snaps in the Badgers’ Week 13 loss at Nebraska then did not see the field during their season finale against Minnesota.’ (Courtesy Buckys5thQuarter)…likely won’t be the last Badger transfer portal player to join the Illini….NFL prospect who can play either end in a 3-4 front….Bielema needed d-linemen….getting some good one’s.

Committed….Florida State defensive lineman Tomiwa Durojaiye….listed at 6-foot-3, 280-pounds…..looks bigger….grew up in Philly…high school in Delaware…signed with Kentucky transferred to West Virginia 2023….good NIL deal to sign with Florida State last winter….productive starter with a motor at West Virginia….got maybe 30 snaps last fall for the Seminoles without an injury designation….looked heavy in the limited time on the field….Florida State with a new defensive coordinator/d-line coach he decided time to move on…..interesting player that played hard for the Mountaineers…..get him in shape/mind right….can be a solid strong side 3-4 end that gets some push on the pass rush.

Signed….Northern Illinois quarterback Ethan Hampton…hurt early in his Huskies career so might be able to get two more years of eligibility….very similar to former Illini QB John Paddock….good not great arm…accurate dink and dunk passer….doesn’t have the build to hold up over a full B1G season……as a relief pitcher type…fits what Illinois is looking for.

Signed….6-foot, 290-pound nose guard Curt Neal…. started 11 games at one tech defensive tackle/nose guard for the Wisconsin Badgers last fall….has two years of eligibility….Head coach Luke Fickell’s wanted to ‘get bigger more mobile’ on the d-line….majority of Badgers that started up front last fall in the transfer portal….Neal at his best vs. the run….great job of attacking blockers in a two-gap scheme…not much of a pass-rusher.

Signed…..6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver Justin Bowick….from Georgia…played two years at Eastern Illinois…last fall at Ball State….on his way to an outstanding season in 2024 till he got hurt…..Bowick when healthy isn’t quite Pat Bryant but has potential to be a game-breaker at the X wide receiver position (opposite the slot/wide side of field)….weighed 170-pounds/11 catches senior season why he wasn’t more heavily recruited…..two years of eligibility.

More watched….more like all five….Thompson an every down player/NFL prospect…..Neal physical interior lineman…Bowick dangerous X type….Hampton quality depth….Durojaiye world of potential position of need.