The Weekly

No Illini hockey

*Athletic director Josh Whitman announced Monday a men's scholarship hockey program wasn't in the cards at Illinois...Whitman pre-COVID was on his way to getting that hockey program....now with NIL/changing face of college athletics and facility issues...Whitman knows he can't pull off another men's scholarship program...recent fan council meeting the AD reportedly admitted DIA now has about twice the amount of 'facility issues' they had when he took over...'issues' include everything from the swimming pool to wrestling room to having to spend 'around' 200 million to upgrade/repair the east side/horseshoe at Memorial Stadium.

*Good luck to Kofi Cockburn....his 'handlers' starting the NIL bidding at reportedly 1.9 million ridiculous....coming down to 1.5 million trying to manipulate Illinois into thinking 'handlers' could get that amount from another school....good for Whitman/Underwood/Illini NIL types saying, 'we are not going to play that game' with 'handlers'....Cockburn supposedly could have had a guaranteed 900K in an the NIL agreement another 200K possible bonus money.....'handlers' felt he could make more in the NBA....OK....Cockburn 70's era back to the basket center/rim protector when the NBA is all about the mobile center on the perimeter in a pick and pop game so it's hard to imagine the post being a high draft choice....'within reason' the DIA approach to NIL and 1.5 to 1.9 million for Kofi?....UIUC school admin likely wouldn't have gone for that kind of 'deal' either.

*Butt hurt college coaches/their media buddies complaining about the transfer portal in hoops....now the rabbit has the gun and the hunters don't like it...meaning....players have the power and the coaches/media buddies don't like they don't have that power...hoops transfer portal is crazy right now it will settle down.....change always settles down eventually....college hoops like NBA....keep a core of four to six players...rest of roster you fill with spring recruiting/transfer portal...use the portal same way NBA uses free agency to fill out their rosters.

*Illini in the NFL draft.....

Kerby Joseph safety third round pick Detroit Lions

Lions use a single high/cover 2 safety look perfect fit for Joseph who played both schemes at Illinois.

Vederian Lowe tackle sixth round pick Minnesota Vikings

Vikings have spent a lot of money/draft capital on their o-line....O'Neill at right tackle, Darrisaw last year's first round pick at left tackle....veteran lineman Jesse Davis signed this off season to back those two up....can see Lowe being in the mix as a back up next season at both tackle and guard for the Vikings.

Doug Kramer center sixth round pick Chicago Bears

Going thru the sports library…..'Rock Hollywood' guard Revie Sorey 5th round pick 1975 the last Illini offensive lineman to be drafted by the Bears?....Bears have a bad offensive line so Kramer could see plenty of time next fall in Chicago.

Brandon Peters quarterback/James McCourt kicker free agent contracts LA Chargers

What's the Illini connection in the Chargers front office?

Roderick Perry defensive tackle free agent contract Cleveland Browns

Khalan Tolson linebacker free agent contract Carolina Panthers

Jake Hansen linebacker free agent contract Houston Texans

Hansen, Hardy Nickerson Jr. (injured reserve), Dele Harding (assistant coach with the Texans) three best linebackers Miles Smith (Texans linebackers coach) ‘developed’ at Illinois now in Houston....wait a minute...

Tony Adams cornerback free agent contract New York Jets

Jets play a lot of press ball cover 3 zone scheme so Adams fits very well.

*Illini football add transfers

So happy the days of Lovie Smith's program adding former four-five star types from USC/Alabama out of the transfer portal over...sure Smith's staff added a few FCS types but those 'highly touted' types....schools they were at gave up on them cause either not good enough or hurt all the time...now Bielema's staff going more for the transfer type with a chip on their shoulder to prove themselves at the power five level....scouting the three most recent transfers to the Illini roster.

*Terrell Jennings cornerback Minnesota State-had him as a high red chip (high level FCS/low FBS starter) coming out of Santa Barbara (Cal.) Community College after one year...played a year at FCS North Dakota then Minnesota State....excellent man cover corner out of JC that got lost on a bad team/program....gained muscle/weight since his JC days....has at least one year likely two to play at Illinois....expect Jennings will be in the two deep at corner come the Illini opener vs. Wyoming next season.

*Kirkland Michaux quarterback Blinn (Texas) Community College-played baseball the last two years at Blinn CC in Texas....Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. recruited the QB when he was at UTSA, Michaux at Austin (Texas) Westlake High School....freshman next fall football wise...another player that got lost in the shuffle it seems...one year starter in HS when all thought he was going baseball so didn't do the summer camps as a prep....on film better than any in-state 2023 QB prospects...Michaux will start out as a walk-on but expect he will be on scholarship/compete for playing time early in his Illini career.

*Dylan Davis offensive line Furman-6-foot-4, 290-pounder with three years of eligibility left....started at tackle for Furman few games in a spread offense....don't know that Davis is a Big Ten tackle but certainly can play guard in the conference...again another player with tools to work with on the offensive line.

*Story time......

90's Illini football had a front office type that before coming to Champaign worked in Chicago as the 'personal assistant' to a certain former Bears QB that now is a 'leader of men' in the Big Ten.....front office type would make the QB's appointments, get/answer his mail, make sure the car was full of gas, glorified go-fer...front office type loved to tell the story of the kind of mail the QB received....good luck cards, letters from the kids etc....QB also had a lot of female admirers that would reportedly send well....their panties, explicit pictures with letters enclosed describing what they wanted to do with/to the quarterback....Player supposedly kept all his 'admirers' gifts in a box as a keep sake (wonder if he still has it?)....always wanted 'the good stuff' first when he would ask the go-fer, 'what did I get today?' (in the mail)...'leader of men'