What could have been...

Illini football news and notes.

*What could have been...

Being an Illini sports 'historian'....always love the 'what could have been' stories...here is this week's.....late 90's into the 2000's Western Illinois Leatherneck/Eastern Illinois Panther football players would meet in Champaign during the summers to 7-on-7 vs. the Illini....Ron Turner's players very impressed with the Eastern Illinois QB 'almost' had him talked into transferring to Illinois sit out 2001, take over for Kurt Kittner 2002...Turner at the time told a couple of 'media' types in Champaign that 'we have a couple of transfer QB's on the line' before Jon Beutjer transferred in from Iowa....written before Turner wasn't 'sold' on Beutjer as a QB/person but in consultation with then AD Ron Guenther...decided best to take him to show coaches at Beutjer's alma mater Wheaton Warrensville South High School how committed the Illini were to that program/in-state recruits....Panthers QB interested in Illinois? Tony Romo.....2002 Romo running Turner's offense throwing to Brandon Lloyd, Aaron Moorehead, Greg Lewis, and Walter Young.....handing ball off to A. Harris...o-line that fall with four future NFL'ers (Diehl, Pashos, Preston, Bubin).....What could have been.....players did talk Winston Taylor into transferring from Eastern into Turner's program....former Decatur prep started 12 games at linebacker for Illinois in 2003.

*Three junior college players scheduled to visit Bret Bielema's program this weekend.....Love the JC recruiting Illinois football doing vs. trying to take power 5 leftovers late like previous staffs did....junior college kids chip on their shoulder 'need football'....scouting the visitors

Jamal East wide receiver College of San Mateo (Cal.)-6-foot-2, 215-pound freshman three years of eligibility....great spring showing 4.55 speed/great hands/body control in and out of his cuts...Oregon State will also get a visit....potentially a 'difference maker' at X(outside) receiver next level....surprised more PAC-12 schools haven't gotten involved...again great job by Illinois evaluating spring tape looking to add at a position of need.....of the two CSM visiting, my priority would be East.

Jayden Dixon-Veal wide receiver College of San Mateo (Cal.)-signed with Sacramento State out of high school before transferring to CSM...played with Ohio State/Texans QB C.J. Stroud at Rancho Cucamonga (Cal.) High School....6-footer has 4.5 speed...enough speed to 'stretch' the defense deep routes....don't know if Illinois has room for both pass catchers....Ahmari Hayes reserve cornerback recruiting class of 2016 only former College of San Mateo player could find that played for Illinois.

Will Leys center Saddleback (Cal.) Junior College-Mike White's staff recruited players like defensive ends Mike Piel, Neil Wallner, linebacker Bob Sebring out of Saddleback in the 80's.......know this JC program well....Leys line coach says he is up to 290 at 'legit' 6-foot-3.... 'scrapper' 'late developer' 'tough kid' over-achiever never going to be a 310-pound mauler.....should compete for starting center job in the fall/quality depth...on film plays in a zone scheme similar to what Illinois runs...quick first step/effective wall off blocker/plays hard till the whistle....three years of eligibility...Illini need a center Leys likely fit after his visit...background transferred to Anaheim (Cal.) Servite from Irvine (Cal.) High School...'grew a couple of inches' during senior season....decided to go JC vs. D-2 opportunities...smart move...has offers from Illinois, Buffalo, New Mexico among others.....another excellent eval of spring film by the Illini staff.

*Illinois picks up a commitment out of transfer portal from Southern Illinois safety Clayton Bush....He signed with Western Kentucky out of high school before transferring/playing three years for the Salukis....gets a ride this fall with one season of eligibility left....6-foot-1, 195-pound Bush can play either safety/in the box/should be a standout on special teams...another defender that can tackle.

*Illini buddy is friends with the father of a 2024 blue-chip in-state defensive lineman...says prospects top three...'Illinois, University of Miami and Michigan' asks for 'advice' to sell Illinois to the kid's dad....tell him, 'if he goes to the U, he won't be well-coached....goes to Michigan, if he works out great, if he doesn't work out early, they just recruit over him and he is in the portal...Illinois? Sell the dad that in-state kids always do best when they stay in-state program just cares more than out of state does’ ...maybe it works....can't say didn't try to help.

*Little birdie tells me last fall's Illinois at Indiana football game....Illini locker room in Bloomington no air conditioning, no fans moving air....temps inside over 100 degrees walk thru.....around 100 degrees before/half/after game...another Big Ten assistant said his team would always play at Indiana in November, 'heat never worked and toilets always stuffed up'....Hoosiers have been fined for this kind of 'shit' before....that 'cagey' Tom Allen.

*Former Illini defensive line coach Tom Sims now defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at D-2 Wayne State back in his hometown Detroit....former Michigan running back Tyrone Wheatley head coach of the program.....always admire Sims cause he wasn't an ass-kisser, told his bosses the truth which probably didn't help his coaching career but the man has integrity which is missing way too much in college coaching these days....Sims played at Pitt for Ron Zook's buddy Mike Gottfried...He can tell great stories about his Panther teammates like the late Ironhead Heyward, Burt Grossman, late Tony Siragusa among others....talk about a bunch of characters...'Pitt is it'....as they used to say.

*'You kicked that guy out of practice?'...

Cause of Turner's nephews fuck-up got kicked out of Illini practice (along with ace reporter Darren Bailey) fall 2004....year later was back Zook era open practices fully credentialed Illini kool-aid drinker...anyway, same 12-15 people always at practice all knew each other....once in awhile would see a sports information (SID) person ask someone they either didn't know/didn't want at practice to leave.....few times SID's would ask this tall older man to leave and the old-timers at practice would whisper, 'he knows he shouldn't be here' Guenther era.

20 years ago (time flies) covering Illini football became friends with Hap Leman father of then Illini linebacker J. Leman....Hap interesting guy, went from selling insurance to selling the lord, pastor/CEO of the Vineyard Church in Urbana....my view…..J. got his personality from his dad, competitor in him from his mom...Hap would always brag, 'all my kids college athletes'....daughters played volleyball....J.'s older brother football at Wheaton College, younger brother football at Eastern Illinois....Hap open invitation to his church for lunch took him up on it one sunny summer day 2007....as we were eating big guy (6-foot-5) comes over to say, 'hello'....Hap introduces me to Doug Kleber says, 'Doug is going to talk to the (football) team soon'....Kleber had played tackle for Illinois in the 70's, drafted by the Cleveland Browns....He and his wife (a former Illini athlete) both personal trainers in Urbana....they had trained J. if you remember that funky diet he had their invention....Kleber also trained future Illini running back Mikel Leshoure....recognized him but couldn't place where....nice talk he leaves and it hits me....Kleber is the guy the SID's always boot out of practice.

Hap Leman says indeed he is aware Kleber can't go to Illinois practices cause...'well Doug has had some trouble in the past, has had some different views that people in the athletic department and around town not comfortable with but he doesn't think that way anymore'....Kleber and his wife members of the Vineyard church...realize Leman isn't going to tell me what the fuck happened to get the guy treated like that by the athletic department.

Go home, hit the google machine Doug Kleber....after the NFL Kleber moved to Oregon lived with a religious sect (cult) middle of nowhere that ran afoul of the law....sect would protest at local churches/events all over the state....sect believed in exorcism of the soul...when a kid kept 'acting up' Kleber, father of the child did an exorcism....youngster diabetic went into shock and died during the exorcism...Kleber ended up in jail with the father for a few years...got out ended up with his wife back in Champaign/Urbana still protesting at local churches...met Hap Leman who helped 'settle him down' guess you would call it...got into the health/fitness field....Guenther/DIA types thought Kleber a 'nut job' didn't want him around why he was always booted out of practice/not invited to former player events.

Zook and his wife Denise were members of the Vineyard, tight with J's mom and dad....Hap told Denise Zook the Kleber story without you know, telling her he couldn't go to practice be around the team...Mrs. Zook tells her husband, 'good idea to have Doug Kleber talk to the team former player redemption story'....few days later Kleber talking to the team before a summer workout......Zook didn't think it was a big deal, no one in the football offices were aware of who was speaking that day.

Couple of townie Illini players who knew about Kleber after the workout both called their fathers to tell who was in front of them....both dad's were tight with Guenther, knew Kleber wasn't supposed to be around...course they called the old German who about shit a brick when he heard.....from that point forward, anyone who 'talked to the football team' Zook had to get it cleared by Guenther first....DIA type said later only time he had seen Guenther more pissed than the Kleber 'incident'...when the AD was told by Bill Self head coach was leaving for Kansas....Guenther 'thought' he had Self talked into staying at Illinois.....never saw Kleber trying to watch practice again.