"They got five girls with Charlie's Angels shirts on them following me wherever I go."

Illini football add to their blue-chip commitment pile...

*Illini beat Mizzou again….

-Kirkwood (MO.) 2026 safety prospect Jacob Eberhart committed to Illinois Saturday night….He is the son of former Illini defensive lineman Jason Eberhart (who passed away in 2023)…..Jason four-star prospect out of St. Louis Mehlville class of 1996/three-year letterman.

Listed as a 6-foot-3, 210-pound safety…..Eberhart one of the top five prospects in the metro St. Louis area/top ten recruits state of Missouri…in the end picked Illinois over Mizzou and Oklahoma.

On film you see a big kid that can run with body control to break down and tackle….not as fluid side to side as you want in a free safety….could develop him into a ‘rover/box’ type of defender in the Illini 4-2-5 set/weakside linebacker or wide receiver….another versatile athlete with plenty of tools to work with….got to like the staff again beat those Mizzou Pigs for a top recruit in the St. Louis area.👍

*Like you waiting for football to start so scratching for things to write about….....names in the sports news recently...got me to thinkin' Illini recruitments many might not remember or at least the details....maybe never heard about? Here goes...

*Larry Fitzgerald football-Recently Fitzgerald's son Devon (Class of 2026) committed to play wide receiver at Notre Dame....2000 Nike Camp Memorial Stadium Brian Monk and I there....Sunday after the Illini spring football game (Ron Turner’s program hot after an outstanding 1999 season beat Michigan on the road!)....one player jumped out we hadn't heard of....Larry Fitzgerald wide receiver Holy Angels School Minneapolis-St. Paul area....went over took his picture...asked him for background and his favorite schools....very well spoken young man, 'Penn State and Illinois' his favorites...oh boy....Illinois!

Background: Fitzgerald's parents both Chicago Fenger graduates...his father sportswriter in Minneapolis....mom and dad loved the prestige of the University of Illinois/Turner's program first Big Ten school to contact Larry Jr....only issue....mother had been sick/young Larry was behind in his core courses cause of that....Holy Angels religion classes didn't get approval from the NCAA clearinghouse so Fitzgerald off to Valley Forge (PA.) Military Academy for a post-high school season to get his grades in order.

Cause of his father’s connections....Fitzgerald had been a Minnesota Vikings ball boy growing up....future NFL Hall of Famer/Vikings defensive end Chris Doleman close to the family helped get Larry to Valley Forge (Doleman hoped young man would end up at his alma mater Pitt)...called kid's house to see if Illinois back on him...Valley Forge didn't allow phone calls from non-family members and in 2001...few kids had cell phones...hard to believe😂

Well....got ahold of his mother in Minneapolis...she still wanted Illinois to recruit Larry but Turner's staff...'felt good about wide receiver' and weren't actively recruiting him till....late November 2001…..Michigan State, Ohio State and Minnesota offered then Illinois....too late....Pitt already sealed the deal with the future NFL Hall of Famer.

*Reshad Jones football-Reported last week the former Miami Dolphins safety 'was scammed out of $2.58 million dollars in a grand theft and money laundering scheme, Former financial advisor Isaiah Williams (not that Isiah ‘Juice’ Williams) allegedly abused his access to Jones' personal bank account, and with the help of 49-year-old Octavia Graham, stole millions of dollars to pay off his credit cards and fund a lavish lifestyle.' (Courtesy CBS Sports).....Jones 2006 recruit....five-star rated top safety in his class out of Atlanta Washington High School...had to be there to remember this one.

Suddenly his name pops up visiting Ron Zook's program December 2005....WTF? Had good sources who told me who was visiting and at no point did Jones name come up....get an angry phone call from then Illini offensive coordinator/Atlanta area recruiter Mike Locksley (first of many over his time at Illinois)...'Get Jones' name off our fuckin' visit list'....'Ummm OK just a mistake?'....Lox, 'No we are going to steal him and don't want anyone to know about it'.....so I tell 'management' 'Yeah Jones not visiting take his name off'.....nothing comes of it till...day before signing am told, 'We have it in place Jones will sign with us tomorrow'.....really WTF?....Two staff members confirmed Jones did indeed visit 'had a deal worked out'....till his home state Georgia Bulldogs got wind and made young man 'an offer he couldn't refuse'.

Remember asking Zook about the Jones recruitment the next summer he laughed, 'When I was at Florida (assistant for Steve Spurrier) I had a commitment from Champ Bailey (NFL Hall of Fame cornerback) and 15 minutes before we were signing him.....Georgia did some stuff and....well he didn't sign with us'.....Zook alluding to Jones 'getting a better deal probably than Champ' did.

*Lance Williams basketball-6-foot-10 post player out of Chicago Julian class of 1998....in town for a football game…….remember the infamous basketball recruiting guru Steve Wacaser (hopefully not calling from jail) on WDWS' Saturday Morning Sports line ‘very confident’ Lon Kruger's Illini landing the four-star big with a 'great shot' getting his buddy Chicago Simeon wing Bobby Simmons....and....and...and....last second of course DePaul's head coach Phat Pat Kennedy lands the pair along with Chicago Whitney Young blue-chip forward Quintin Richardson.

98’ discovered internet college sports message boards…..Chicago Tribune one I was always on (Big Ten message board too chaotic for me)...devastated and pissed ILL. didn't land Williams....yeah was with the mob wanting an 'NCAA investigation NOW' of DePaul……Williams averaged ten points, seven boards over a four-year career for what became an under-achieving Blue Demons program...course Simmons/Richardson shook it off on their way to the NBA.

Speaking of Kruger....Brad Underwood hiring Lon's son Kevin to the Illini staff...good move programs needs a 'coach' on the bench...reminds of a story...when Lon Kruger left for the Atlanta Hawks job...his Champaign house went on the market...had a full basketball court attached...one Illini 'fan'/current recruiting 'expert' and his oddball buddy piled into a car/drove three hours on a Sunday to the open house so they one dope could take pictures of the court....fanboy head coaches house...am sure the realtor thought they had a couple of big shooters when those two fat fucks got out of an 88' Dodge.

*Charlie Villanueva basketball-Committed to Bill Self’s Illini……'He was one of the top-ranked prospects in the nation in 2003 and a number of colleges were interested in having him onboard. On the Run Your Race podcast, Villanueva revealed how the University of Illinois recruited him.

"My first visit was to Illinois University," Villanueva said. "I loved it, loved it off the bat. First of all, I'm 17 years old, they picking me up in a private jet. I ain't never been in a private jet in my life... So I get on campus, they got five girls with Charlie's Angels shirts on them following me wherever I go." (Courtesy Fadeaway World)

Been over twenty years since the Charlie V’s recruitment.....like yesterday it seems....Self leaves for Kansas Dee Brown/new head coach Bruce Weber talk to Charlie about Illinois....'not interested anymore'.....then message board poster Nate Blue 'inside source' close to the big man insists…..'Illini still have a chance' when in fact....nope Charlie V. ends up at UConn/NBA career....always remember one of the 'recruiting violations' IIRC compliance turned in during the official visit....Orange Krush had a bed sheet sign, 'Welcome to Champaign Charlie' displayed at Ubben....no wonder Self couldn't get out of town quick enough.

*Lawrence Phillips football-Yes that Lawrence Phillips recruiting class of 1993....gotta' remember Illini football late 80's/early 90's on national TV a lot....interest from recruits all over the country.....Head coach Lou Tepper and top recruiter Greg McMahon recruiting SoCal hard for running backs Phillips and San Diego's Marlin Carey (signed with USC, like Phillips ended up in prison)...Phillips played last two seasons at Baldwin Park High School....living in a foster home....McMahon had strong ties to the area from his time recruiting for UNLV....Phillips visits Champaign.....all set to become an Illini when....admission denied….reason?….staff wanted to place back in the legendary summer bridge program…get him eligible…..admissions took a look at Phillips aptitude-test scores/grades….determined they didn’t add up….based on their data felt someone else had taken placemen test for him.

Another Dr. Snake Tom Osborne and his SoCal recruiter George Darlington got Phillips classified learning disabled next stop Lincoln, Nebraska....missing out at running back....Tepper's staff get a late commitment from Michigan’s Damien Platt....same class Ty Douthard signed out of Cincinnati...if Illinois had signed Phillips or Carey…..Douthard likely would have been moved to safety or linebacker.

*Nothing but Dookie…

-First in our series looking at 2025 Illini opponents thru the lenses of what conference coaches told Athlon Sports about the Duke Blue Devils…..Illini at Duke early September…

“North Carolina got all the talk, but this is going to be a fascinating program to watch down the road.”…Comment from the peanut gallery-Not Dookie- related….North Carolina football mentioned….what about former Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown saying last spring…’Admissions have been loosened for (Bill) Belichick’s staff’….my buddy Dan Disch when he was coaching at North Carolina bitched and moaned about the UNC admissions…’worse than Illinois’….University of North Carolina arguably one of the top five public schools in the country ‘sacrificing’ academic standards for a bored old man who is getting his buddy/children jobs/paid….makes sense….not like Tar Heels haven’t done that before.🏀

“They’re all-in on NIL, and [QB Darian] Mensah was a big investment for them. If he’s as effective as he was at Tulane, they could be a title contender because that defense is absolutely legit. They’re returning almost everyone, and last year was some of Manny Diaz’s best work of his career.”…Comment from the peanut gallery-Just fuckin’ hit Mensah….many of these group of five QB’s like Mensah…never really been hit hard….knock him on his ass a few times first quarter….see what he is made of.

“They’re recruiting high schools better than anyone’s seen from them, too. Combined with their NIL, it’s a safe bet they’re going to be able to hang on to these guys.”…Comment from the peanut gallery-Till the cash runs when they realize head coach is a poor man’s version of Mario ‘The Clapper’ Christobal.

“This is a program that’s all-in on football in a way we’ve never seen.”…Comment from the peanut gallery-Duke athletics has a very aggressive group of alums backing their programs…made football priority….three biggest donors that fund the operation….venture capitalist….former Goldman Sachs executive…..hedge fund manager…smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

*Scott Davis turns 60…

-Former Illini defensive end Scott Davis turned 60 last week….his legacy in Champaign ‘complicated’ to say the least….Four-star tight end out of Plainfield, Illinois 1983 recruiting class….never heard of Plainfield had to look it up on a map…tiny school then not many players came out of that cornfield…6-foot-7 prospect had offers to play hoops from Wisconsin, Minnesota and several MAC schools.

Top three in-state recruits ‘83 Davis, Eric Kumerow quarterback (Oak Park-River Forest/Ohio State) and Mike McGann offensive tackle (Joliet Catholic/Illinois/St. Xavier)….White’s program would have signed all three if Taylor Bell hadn’t purposely written about Kumerow’s grandfather alleged🤣 Chicago mob boss Tony Accardo….freaked the family out when Bell’s Sun-Times column came out decided it was best for Eric to go to Columbus…fuckin’ Bell knew the family would freak.

Davis enrolls at Illinois 215-pound tight end (left program a 270-pounder)….letters 1983/plays in the Rose Bowl…decides he is done with football…story was he spent 1984 in Flagstaff, Arizona working at the family business….comes back 1985 switches to defensive line….1987 Illini d-line Davis, Moe Gardner at nose, great Mike Piel at other end what a group….coached by Bill Kollar (later became respected NFL d-line assistant)…..on paper he had an excellent career…..Four-year letterman…..1986 team captain/All-Big Ten pick….outstanding tackles for loss/sack totals during his time in CU.

Davis violent past at Illinois….so many on-campus at the time had a story about him and they were not good…1988 Raiders take Davis first round ‘the next Matuszak’…Morning of draft he is sitting in the Champaign County Jail facing assault charges from an incident previous night.

Got a second contract with the Raiders before he got hurt….quit football….did well investing in real estate/on the Chicago Board of Trade (someone told me he had two seats in the 90’s)…came back for 2008 Eastern Illinois game honoring several former players including Davis….first time he had been to CU in 20 years…..vibe around him weird….example nice guys that day honored who talked to everyone like Don Thorp, Jim Juriga, Mike Martin, Brad Hopkins and Dave Diehl….they talked to Davis….rest?….kept their distance……DIA type said Davis hasn’t been back to Illinois that they knew of since ‘08….hard to find former teammates with anything nice to say about the guy….leave it at that.