My Favorite year

Illini football class of 1986

*College football recruit signing day always gets me thinking about my 'favorite' Illini recruiting class.....that class is 1986 signed by Mike White's staff...also gives opportunity to share some stories have heard over the years about some of those in the 86' class.

*First off....in-state prep class of 1986 might also be the best in recent history.....Top prospect that year 'next Dick Butkus' Chicago St. Rita 5-star linebacker John Foley (Notre Dame)...He was named USA Today defensive player of the year/Parade All-American.....86' class had close to thirty linemen sign with power five schools (these days 10-12 linemen from the state signing with power five=excellent year for talent)....Five d-linemen that class drafted by the NFL including first pick Russell Maryland Chicago Whitney Young/University of Miami...Mel Agee Illinois...Paul Glonek St. Laurence/Notre Dame (Parade All-American)....the late Jeff Alm Sandburg/Notre Dame (Alm all set to sign with the Illini till Lou Holtz hired in South Bend swept in to Chicago to sign several Windy City recruits)....Nolan Harrison Homewood-Flossmoor/Indiana.

With all the positive publicity Illini football received first few years of White.....Head coach and his recruiting coordinator Gary Horton tried to make the program more of a 'national' recruiter with mixed results...class of 86' went back to the six-hour drive rule....majority of class from Indy/St Louis/in-state....six-hour drive time from Champaign campus.

*Fighting Illini football recruiting class of 1986...and some of their 'stories'...

Mel Agee tight end Chicago Washington High School-4 star recruit.....Agee first committed to Jimmy Johnson's Hurricanes...Agee saw himself as a hoops player/wanted a chance to play both sports in college....White had then Illini assistant basketball coach Jimmy Collins stop by Washington, talk to Agee about playing hoops in Champaign...worked....signing day surprise Agee to Illinois...Canes' needing a replacement found Russell Maryland....Maryland then a 300-plus nose guard headed to Indiana State signed instead with Miami (Fla.) taking Agee's spot....signed as a tight end but was moved to the defensive line freshman year.....never played hoops at Illinois but was an All Big Ten player.... NFL career...passed in 2008 way way too early.

Tom Brady linebacker Morris (Ill.) High School-older brother Ed Brady Illini linebacker (80-83)...sat out 1986 season academics...no record of this Tom Brady ever playing a down at Illinois...one of those recruits that simply disappeared from the roster.

Jim Collins fullback East St Louis (Ill.) Assumption High School-listed 5-foot-11, 235-pounder....no record of Collins ever playing for Illinois.

Rick Comer guard Terre Haute (Ind.) South Vigo High School-two years on the roster before heading back to Terre Haute/Indiana State.

Bobby Dawson safety Sacramento (Cal.) Community College-5-foot-10, 220-pound 'Thumper' strong safety.....two-year starter All Big Ten mention....played in the CFL.

Pat Donnelly safety Lisle (Ill.) Benet Academy-Illini football radio color guy Jim Grabowski would always get excited when Donnelly would make a play on special teams 'hey you know Dick (Martin) I played with Pat’s uncle'.....Grabo, uncle George Donnelly (NFL first round pick) teammates on the 1963 Rose Bowl team....Pat Donnelly three-year letterman reserve defensive back/special teamer.

Leon Fisher defensive back St Louis Ladue High School-started three games at safety 1986/special teamer 8 others...never to be heard from again.

Morris Gardner defensive line Indianapolis Cathedra High School-three-star recruit picked Illinois over Kentucky and Indiana....All American...College Football Hall of Famer.

Jeff George quarterback Indianapolis Warren Central High School-5-star recruit originally signed with Purdue….transferred to Illinois fall of 1987....you know the rest of the story.....inducted into the Illini athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.

Rich Gianacakos center Riverside (Ill.) Brookfield High School-4-star center prospect that never could stay healthy in Champaign....lettered in 1990.

Paul Glonek defensive tackle Burbank (Ill.) St. Laurence High School-5-star prospect....built like a brick shit house in high school.....6-foot-6, 270-pounds looking like he could win a body building contest....signed with Notre Dame didn't qualify....White couple of Illini assistants including Billy Callahan when told Glonek wasn't going to South Bend spring 1986 ride up to his house and sign the five-star during a non-contact period (one of the NCAA violations that got White fired)....was on-campus for maybe a month in Champaign before being told to leave 'behavior' issues...went to Iowa for a few years before flunking out...then to the University of Arizona for a year....at his pro day ran a 4.8 forty at 300-pounds/35 reps of 225 on the bench.....size/speed guy who was a 5th round pick of the New York Jets 1990 draft....didn't make it out of the J-E-T-S training camp....looked like Tarzan played like Jane type.

Howard Griffith running back Chicago Julian High School-Didn't qualify out of high school....Illini used a minority student admissions program to get Griffith in as a Prop 48 walk-on...heading down the road to nowhere till John Mackovic hired, helped the back straighten out his priorities on and off the field...led to a record-breaking career in Champaign.

Chris Green defensive back Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High School-supposedly last player to get a scholarship in the class of 86'......Then Chicago Tribune sports columnist David Haugh wrote a piece years ago about the recruiting process and how White's staff had 'promised' Haugh a ride class of 86' but at the last minute....took another player (Green)...yeah that was a pretty good decision by the Illini staff...Green four-year starter/All Big Ten cornerback/NFL career....Haugh ended up wide receiver at Ball State/slap dick sportswriter/Notre Dame apologist....yeah not a fan of his.

Kurt Gregus linebacker Burbank (Ill.) St. Laurence High School-older brother Dan (80-82) started several games for the Illini on the defensive line/All Big Ten pick 1982....Kurt four-year letterman few starts at linebacker/special teams demon.

Jason Guard linebacker Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High School-started five games at linebacker as a true freshman 1986/three starts there 1987....Darrick Brownlow beat him out in 1998 at middle linebacker...four-year letterman....after graduation, Guard moved back to the Cincinnati area....years later he became the mentor to Kyle Rudolph 5-star tight end out of Cincinnati Elder High School....remember the Guard's bringing Rudolph to the Purdue vs. Illini game 2006....after contest recruits meeting the staff indoor facility....Illini assistant assigned to Rudolph post game flies by shakes Rudolph's hand, 'hey nice to see you, look around' on the way out the door saying to me as he passed, 'going to get me some cherry pie' (on the way to meet one of his many CU 'girlfriends')...leaving Guard, his wife and Rudolph standing there by themselves/5-star never came back to Champaign....that Zook assistant fired after the 2006 season big part of the reason why? His lack of 'discipline' off the field...Rudolph signed with Front Butt Weis/Notre Dame...First round draft pick…..still playing in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals.

Frank Hartley tight end Chicago Bogan High School-Prop 48 was enrolled at Illinois fall of 1986 but not academically eligible....another top high school hoops player influenced to Illinois by Jimmy Collins....6-foot-3, 270-pound blocking tight end....three-year letterman....would knock your block off.....big and mean....played a few years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns among others.

Jerry Hamner cornerback Charleston (Ill.) High School-Four-year letterman....started 9 games 1990 season after Green broke his leg pre-season.

Rich Herr guard Florissant (Mo.) Hazelwood Central High School-reserve offensive lineman lettered in 1989.....suspended from the team fall 1990 'violation of teams rules' rumored failed drug test for PED's.

Brad James tackle Lockport (Ill.) High School-White's staff felt James had the potential to be an NFL tackle.....'might be the best lineman in the class' hype...well that got my attention cause they signed literally a ton of them that year/closely followed James 'career'...6-foot-6, 280-pounder started three games at tackle/lettered in 1987 before disappearing off the roster never to be heard from again.

Richard Jones running back South Holland (Ill.) Thornwood High School-4-star prospect...top running back in the state...in his 1985 December recruiting newsletter Chicagoland guru Tom Lemming named Jones, Darrell Thompson (Minnesota) Anthony Thompson (Indiana) top three backs in the midwest.....played for former Illini assistant Robert Jackson when Jackson was head coach at Thornwood...sat out a year trying to qualify....never did.

Henry Jones defensive back St Louis University High School-4-star prospect picked Illinois over Mizzou, Michigan and Notre Dame....four-year letterman...three-year starter at cornerback...twice earned All Big Ten honors...first round pick of the Bills...All Pro safety for Buffalo.

Mike Lawrence linebacker Creve Couer (Mo.) Parkway North High School-no trace of Lawrence lasting more than a season at Illinois.

Curt Lovelace center Quincy (Ill.) High School-Team captain....three-year starter...four-year letterman...twice earned All Big Ten honors at center.

Lynn McClellan running back San Bernadino (Cal.) Junior College-two-year letterman...twice ran for over 100 yards while at Illinois.

Chris Ondrula Springfield (Ill.) Griffin High School-left the program transferring to Miami of Ohio fall of 1987 when George arrived on campus....one year playing QB for the Redhawks, five TD passes, 11 interceptions...lettered two years as team's punter.

Quentin Parker running back Rock Hill (Mo.) Webster Groves High School-moved from running back to safety....four-year letterman...two-year starter/special teams ace.

Ed Pederson lineman DeKalb (Ill.) High School-4-star recruit that 'could play on either side of the ball'....6-foot-8, 270-pounder picked Illinois over Florida, South Carolina and Penn State....started one game at left tackle 1990 in place of Brad Hopkins before being replaced at halftime by Jim Pesek.....never lettered....knew one of his high school teammates said about Pederson, 'Ed was a good guy but he was as stiff as a 14-year old boy first thing in the morning'....stuck around till fall of 1990 when he was suspended with Rich Herr for 'violation of team rules'….rumored failed drug test.

Dave Postmus offensive lineman Orland Park (Ill.) Sandburg High School-called himself 'Dominator'...big weightroom guy boasting a 400-pound plus bench/500-pound squat but like Pederson stiff as a board on the field.....lettered 87-88 as a backup guard...won the starting guard job 1989 playing against USC/first half of the Colorado game that season before being permanently replaced by JC transfer Cam Pepper...after being demoted transferred to then D-3 University of Dayton for the 1990 season...Claim to fame at Illinois 1989 season opener vs. USC trap play.....Postmus so slow to the hole on his pull collides with ball carrier Griffith knocking him down for a Trojan TFL...Pepper replaced Postmus next play....after Postmus left, in the film room then Illini o-line coach Mike Deal would show the Postmus 'tackle' in slow motion to his guys for years giving them an example of, 'what we don't want our linemen to do'.…..O-line coach not a fan of Postmus why he seemed to so much enjoy showing that clip over and over to lighten the mood...why?.....Postmus reportedly told Illini staff, 'you will so fuckin' regret letting me leave here' on his way out the door....they didn't.

Craig Schneider St Louis Duchesne High School-started six games at tackle as a true freshman 1986...four-year letterman/starter....1989 team captain...dependable/under-rated left tackle during his career in Champaign.

Tim Scully center Mount Prospect (Ill.) Buffalo Grove High School-older brother Mike Scully four-year letterman/two-year starter in Champaign (83-87)....no record of Tim Scully ever playing for the Illini.

Lionel Sykes tight end St. Louis Northwest High School-rated one of the top 100 recruits in the nation....sat out a year trying to qualify….never did....year later placed at Bakersfield (Cal.) Community College with class of 1987 Illini wide receiver recruit Linzy Collins (signed later with Mizzou)...signed with Pitt out of Bakersfield after White's staff let go....two-year letterman for the Panthers.

Neil Wallner defensive end Saddleback (Cal.) Junior College-two-year letterman....started five games for the Illini on the d-line.

John Wachter linebacker Wheaton (Ill.) North High School-came to Illinois as a 200-pound linebacker left as a 260-pound defensive end.....started seven games at linebacker 86-87 before moving to the defensive line in 1988...three-year letterman/two-year starter up front.

Shawn Wax wide receiver Loves Park (Ill.) Harlem High School-where to begin?....three-year letterman...two-year starter earning All Big Ten honors 1990 leading the team with 60 catches/six touchdowns.....later became then Illini AD Ron Guenther's 2nd in command (wanted to improve your parking spot for Illini games? Call Wax and donate some more money he would be happy to hook you up)....Fall from grace ended in Wax 'retiring' from the DIA 2010.

*Recruiting class grade: A.....HA....keen grasp of the obvious all these years later....hard to find an Illini class that had as much success as this one...group from 1988 till 1990 won 24 games....share of the Big Ten title 1990...three bowl games....two of them New Year's Day games....All Big Ten picks...couple All American's....first pick NFL draft/plenty of NFL careers for this group....Illini/College Football Hall of Famer's...along with several that never for whatever reason lived up to the 'hype'....1986 class played a major role in an era when the '80's belonged to the Illini.'