Top 5 Illinois Fighting Illini Football Headlines from the Offseason
By Editorial Staff
With the college football season rapidly approaching, it’s time to take a look at the top stories surrounding the Illinois Fighting Illini football team during the offseason.
It’s been 7 months since Illinois lost at home 53-52 to Fresno State, a game which crushed the previous Memorial Stadium record for most combined points (89 during a 46-43 OT win against Indiana in the 1996 season), and the Illini can’t wait to put that heart breaker behind them.
In case you haven’t followed the Illini football team since the Fresno State loss, or simply want a recap of the top football stories during the last six months, here’s what you need to know, including Head Coach Ron Zook staying but shaking up his coaching staff, Nathan Scheelhaase getting named the starting quarterback, the Big Ten expanding and much more.
1. Zook Stays But The Coaching Staff Is All Shook Up
After Illinois fell to 1-6 after a loss to Purdue on October 24th of last season, Illini Athletic Director Ron Guenther addressed the media on the rumors of Zook’s impending firing by saying that:
"There’s going to be some changes, but there won’t be a change at the top."
Guenther meant what he said, with Zook firing four of his assistant coaches:
- Offensive coordinator Mike Schultz;
- Quarterbacks coach Kurt Beathard;
- Wide receivers coach Jim Pry; and
- Special teams coach Mike Woodford.
Zook also demoted several of his assistants, including his two defensive coordinators, Curt Mallory and Dan Disch.
Zook then hired 7 new coaches to 2-year contracts to come in for the 2010 season. New offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and defensive coordinator Vic Koenning both boast impressive credentials, having improved programs in 2009 at Arkansas and at Kansas State respectively.
The coaching shakeup didn’t stop there.
Illinois tight end coach Greg Nord was hired this offseason but left for a position at Kentucky before coaching a single game for the Illini. Nord was replaced by Chip Long, who was an assistant under Petrino at Arkansas.
While some are nervous about the massive coaching changes, reports from early training camps and the players are positive.
In an interview with ESPN, senior defensive end Clay Nurse talked about the new environment the coaches had in place:
"A lot of times, you see guys in the pros and they go to another team and people say, ‘Oh, their career is revitalized’, it’s the same thing here. You’ve got a new coach coming in here, he’s snapping that whip, he’s not taking any nonsense from us. And that’s good for us. It’s something we need."
While we won’t know anything for sure until Illinois takes the field against Missouri on September 4th, the reports from this offseason are that the players are adjusting well to the new coaching schemes.
One would hope so, because another 1-6 start would most likely end in Guenther issuing a whole new wave of layoffs, this wave going all the way to “the top”.
2. The Juice Is Loose and the Illini Have A Quarterback Competition
With the graduation of four-year starter Isiah “Juice” Williams, Illinois found itself in need of a new starting quarterback.
After the 2009 season, Zook decided to move junior quarterback Eddie McGee to wide receiver, leaving the Illini with three options at quarterback:
- Sophomore Jacob Charest (who started several games for Illinois last season after Williams and McGee were benched)
- Redshirt freshman Nathan Scheelhaase; and
- True freshman Chandler Whitmer.
At the beginning of the summer, Charest assumedly looked like the starter, as he was the only player with any game experience.
However, as the spring camp workouts began, reports began to surface that Scheelhaase was emerging as the top prospect.
The players continued to fight for the starting spot throughout camp, with Zook saying that:
"They’ve all had their days when they’ve had the upper hand."
On June 2nd, Zook named Scheelhasse the starting quarterback for the 2010 season.
Just 6 days later, a team official announced that Charest had left the team and returned to his home state of North Carolina.
The decision to name Scheelhaase reportedly had no effect on Charest’s departure, which leaves the Illini with no experienced quarterbacks.
Zook has stated that McGee will remain at wide receiver, which means that the Illini will be going into the 2010 season with starting and backup quarterbacks who have never received a snap in a college game.
This will make for an interesting season, as Scheelhasse will take his first ever college snap in St. Louis at the State Farm Arch Rivalry game against Missouri, and his first true road game will come at Penn state in front of the 110,000+ fans at Beaver Stadium.
Not the most ideal starting conditions for a quarterback, but definitely something to follow as the season progresses.
3. The Big Ten Adds Nebraska As Conference Expansion Speculation Runs Wild
The top headline this summer not just around Illinois football but college football as a whole has been the possible expansion of the conferences.
Here’s a brief timeline of the summer’s conference expansion drama:
- Dec 6th: After the Big Ten’s conference meeting, reports confirmed that the Big Ten was looking to expand in the next 12 to 18 months. It is rumored the league will look to expand to as many as 18 teams.
- Dec 15th: Missouri comes forward and says that it is willing to listen to offers to join the Big Ten.
- Jan 1st – Feb 31st: Rumors continue to circulate about what schools will join the Big Ten and how big it will expand. Rumored schools include Missouri, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Pitt, and several others, including Texas, though the Longhorns maintain they have not discussed such a move.
- March 9th: Notre Dame publically announces its intention to remain a D1 Independent school.
- Jun 9th: In a surprise move, the Pac-10 is the first conference to try to add a member, inviting Colorado from the Big 12 to join the Pac-10. The Buffaloes will formally accept the offer on the 14th.
- Jun 12th: With news of Colorado’s imminent departure sending the Big 12 into chaos, Nebraska applies for and is admitted into the Big Ten, just 6 months after the supposed 12-18 month process began. The Huskers bring the conference to 12 teams, the minimum needed for the Big Ten to hold a conference championship game.
- Jun 13th: Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany announces that the Big Ten is currently halting the expansion at 12 members, but says future expansion is not out of the question.
And that brings us to the current situation in the Big Ten.
Although there were many ripple effects throughout other conferences, including the Big 12 almost dissolving entirely, the Big Ten expansion news stopped with the addition of Nebraska as the league’s 12th member.
But what does the addition of the Huskers mean for Illinois football program?
Those who were college football fans in the 90’s remember that Nebraska absolutely dominated the decade.
The Huskers won back-to-back National Championships in ’94-’95 and won a third title in ’97.
Nebraska will begin playing conference games in the Big Ten in 2011, and Illinois already has some catching up to do in the series.
The Huskers lead the Fighting Illini 7-2-1 in head to head meetings, and Illinois has not defeated the Huskers since Zuppke’s National Champions knocked off the Cornhuskes in 1924.
For Illinois football, the addition of Nebraska means a fourth historically dominant program to contend with alongside Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State.
While it certainly makes the conference schedule that much tougher, the games will undoubtedly be fun to watch, and for those fans who travel, the experience at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium is supposed to be one of the best in college football.
On a side note, 3 of the nation’s 15 Memorial Stadiums, all of which are dedicated to men and women who have served our country in uniform, are now in the Big Ten. Illinois, Indiana, and Nebraska all play in Memorial stadium.
Aside from the added opponent, expansion also will cause the Big Ten to be split into divisions.
While the divisions are currently still being drawn up, the Big Ten has made it clear that it will try to protect as many rivalry games as possible.
Illinois’ rivalry games currently are against:
- Northwestern for the Land of Lincoln trophy (formerly the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk);
- Ohio State for the Illibuck; and
- Purdue for the Purdue Cannon.
Currently Illinois plays Northwestern and Indiana every year and rotates the other eight teams on its schedule.
The new divisions would have Illinois playing all five of its division foes every year, one rival in the other division who it would face every year, and then rotating schedules with the five teams in the other division.
The conference expansion story is likely to continue to grow as the fall season progresses, so be sure to keep checking in for updates.
4. And Then There Was Football (Again) at Wrigley Field
After much discussion from both universities, the Illinois – Northwestern game on November 20th has been moved from Northwestern’s Ryan Field to Wrigley Field.
In a move that has been in the planning stages for some time, the Wildcats will host the Illini at the Friendly Confines, which last staged a football game in 1970 when the Chicago Bears played there.
As stated earlier, the Illini battle Northwestern every year for the Land of Lincoln trophy as part of the Big Ten’s trophy rivalry system.
The game is always a fun one to watch, and while Illinois leads the series 52-46-5, Northwestern has owned the past decade, winning 7 of the last 10 meetings by an average of 16 points.
With the game counting as a home game for the Wildcats, Illinois was only given 3,000 of the 40,000 available tickets, which are already in high demand.
Another 5,000 tickets went to the Cubs, and the other 32,000 tickets are being sold by Northwestern.
Although Northwestern is currently only selling its tickets as part of a season ticket package to try and improve sales, they will most likely become available in the coming months.
For those who are interested in purchasing tickets for the game right now, tickets are available in a very limited supply on StubHub and other ticket-selling sites.
5. Illini Returning and Going: A.J. Jenkins Stays, Arrelious Benn Leaves Early
During the recent “offseason of departure” that has seen coaches, players, and recruits ditching Illinois like a sinking ship, the Illini got some good news when sophomore wide receiver A.J. Jenkins decided to stay with the Illini rather than transferring to another school.
With the team feeling down after losing to Fresno State in a heartbreaking fashion and finishing 3-9, moral was at an all time low, as Jenkins was planning to transfer to another conference.
With the loss of Benn to the draft and tight end Jeff Cumberland to graduation, Jenkins and junior Florida transfer Jarred Fayson were the only receivers left at Illinois with any substantial game experience.
Jenkins, like all of Illinois’ receivers last season, suffered under Mike Schultz’s offense.
Illinois fell from 20th nationally in passing yards under Mike Locksley in 2008 to 87th under Schultz.
Seeing how this change to Schultz caused teammate and All-America candidate Benn to lose draft stock, Jenkins said that he was not planning to return to Illinois after winter break.
However, Schultz was fired and Petrino was hired as offensive coordinator on December 14th, bringing with him a pro-style system that is much more receiver-friendly.
After talking with the new offensive coordinator and Zook, Jenkins decided to remain at Illinois, citing Petrino’s NFL experience and history with developing receivers into pro prospects as reasons for sticking with the Illini.
The rest of the news on Jenkins this summer has been all positive.
Now a junior, Jenkins has reportedly emerged as a leader on the team, and Petrino offered praise to the receiver’s work ethic when saying that:
"He’s been the best receiver this spring, A.J.’s been a great worker. He can be a real good player for us. Sometimes, change is good."
Jenkins left spring camp as the number one receiver on the roster, and his decision to stay at Illinois will undoubtedly benefit the Illini as the fall approaches.
With young, untested quarterbacks, the presence of an experienced, hard-working receiver can help build team confidence and make the quarterback’s job much easier.
As for Rejus Benn and several other Illini, they did quite well in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Despite the frustration that was last season, three Illini were drafted by NFL teams in April (to put that in perspective, the 2007 Rose Bowl team only had one player drafted in first round pick Rashard Mendenhall).
After a disappointing junior season during which he fell victim to injuries and played in an offense with a “run first” mentality, Benn was drafted 39th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He will most likely see action right away and be an immediate factor for a team that was 24th in the league in passing yards last year.
While many had hoped Benn would return to Illinois for his senior season, his decision, while disappointing, was not unexpected.
Benn decided that if he was going to have a new coach anyway, it might as well be in the NFL.
Projected as a late first round or early second round pick, Benn said that he surprised at how late he was picked, but vowed to use it as motivation.
When asked if he regretted choosing Illinois, Benn said:
"I may do it over differently, but I’m excited I went to Illinois. People doubted me. They still doubt. I’ll continue to prove them wrong."
Seniors Jon Asamoah and Michael “Uh-Oh” Hoomanawanui were also both selected by teams.
Asamoah went in the 3rd round to Kansas City Chiefs at the 68th overall pick, and is expected to be a backup to starting center Rudy Niswanger.
Hoomanawanui went in the 5th round to the St. Louis Rams with the 132nd overall pick.
He will not be an immediate starter, but scouts say he has serious potential, and he has a great chance to grow with new Rams’ quarterback and 1st overall pick Sam Bradford.
All three of the Illini selected in the 2010 draft have signed contracts with their respective teams.
Outside of the draft, several other Illini are trying to make their way into the NFL.
- Wide receiver Jeff Cumberland was not drafted, but has signed with the New York Jets as a tight end.
- Defensive lineman Josh Brent was unable to return to Illinois after academic troubles. Brent has a troubled history; he was arrested before last season for a DUI and, after spending nearly a month in jail, returned to the team to start all 12 games. Brent was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the supplemental draft in June.
- Quarterback “Juice” Williams has participated in several mini-camps for the Chicago Bears. Juice has said he is willing to change his position from quarterback if it means he can play in the NFL. Several NFL experts have speculated Williams could be used as a tight end or a back in trick plays or a wildcat offense.
Best of luck to all these players as they begin their careers in professional football.
Well there you have it: the top stories surrounding Illinois football during this offseason.
Hopefully now you are as excited about the upcoming season as I am as it will definitely be one worth watching.
Expect more on the Illini football program in the coming weeks, including recaps of last season’s games, previews of this season’s games, and profiles on potential starters for the 2010 campaign.
Be sure to check back soon and, as always, GO ILLINI!!!