Illinois Football: Thank you Illini players who have stayed committed

The Illinois football team has turned the corner in what is a surprise to most fans of the game.

I am extremely happy for the entire Illini fanbase. The product we are seeing on the field today is better than what we have seen in a very long time. As happy as I am for the Orange and Blue fanbase, I am even more excited for the players who have endured the rough times over the last four years.

Yes, there are some of the younger guys who had to go through a four-win season in 2018 to get to where we are today. But I am not talking about those guys. Those guys have had it easy compared to what some of the more experienced players have gone through.

I want to mainly point out the players who have been with the Illinois football program from the class of 2015 and 2016. These recruits have gone through so much from start to end.

The class of 2015 came in and just months after they committed, and right before the season started, Illinois fired their head coach. These players could have transferred out at that point, but they stuck with the program.

After the 2015 season concluded, the class of 2016 signed with the Illini in February. Less than a month after that, Illinois fired another head coach. The class of 2015 and 2016 players both could have transferred out without recourse after these two fires but they didn’t.

The players currently on the Illinois roster from the class of 2015 consist of Dre Brown, Reggie Corbin, Jamal Milan, Trenard Davis, Caleb Reams and Justice Williams.

The players currently on the Illinois roster from the class of 2016 consist of Kurt Gavin, Jake Cerny, Doug Kramer, Kenyon Jackson, Tymir Oliver, Ayo Shogbonyo, Jake Hansen, Dele Harding, Stanley Green, James McCourt and Griffin Palmer.

Each and every one of these players could be with a different team right now. Some of these players had three different head coaches within a six-month span. Others signed with the team and then had the rug pulled out from underneath them. But they didn’t transfer away. They stayed committed to this program.

I haven’t even talked about the losing these players have endured. In the three seasons prior to the 2019 campaign, all of these players had a combined nine wins. That is an average of three wins per season. Anytime during this rough stretch of football, these players could have transferred out for greener pastures but they didn’t.

It makes me so happy to see their dedication, hard work and commitment paying off. Some of the players are seniors this season and some are juniors, but the fact they get to see a bowl game is awesome. All they have gone through will be worth it. This core group of players has been through so much. I wanted to stop and say thank you for everything. It means a lot to this Illini fan.