(Yo Gabba Weber. Yep. Entering Year Four, and I just ran with Yo Gabba Weber.)

Here’s how these posts work.  Because I’m OCD for the Illini, I watch all of the recruits on tape throughout the year.   In the Signing Day Breakdown, I give you my opinion on each player.  And I rank them in categories: Instant Impact Players, Great Gets, Recruits I’m Excited About But Can’t Really Tell You Why, Recruits I’m Not That Excited About But Can’t Really Tell You Why, and Recruits I Just Don’t Know Much About.  Since this is the 4th of these, let’s see how I did with the 2009 class:

Instant Impact Players: Terry Hawthorne
Great Gets: Nathan Scheelhaase, Lendell Buckner, Justin Green, Michael Buchanan
Excited About, Can’t Tell You Why: Walt Aikens, Eric Watts, Steve Hull, Hugh Thornton, Bud Golden
Not Excited About, Can’t Tell You Why: Leon Hill, Justin Lattimore, Greg Fuller, Jake Feldmeyer
Don’t Know Enough To Make A Judgement Call: Darryl Lee, Aaron Gress, Andrew Carter, Tommie Hopkins, Tim Kynard, Joelil Thrash, and Akeem Spence.

I was doing so well until that very last name, wasn’t I?

Before I get in to this class, three general thoughts:

1) This is probably our lowest ranked class in about 10 years.  And I really don’t fault Tim Beckman one bit.  This class was ranked last in the Big Ten when he took over, and he’s done the best he can in the last 6 weeks to scrape together a full recruiting class.  As I said a few weeks ago, he gets a Get Out Of Jail Free card with this one.

2) This class proves that recruiting is about relationships.  Of the 10 players that he brought in for his first class at Illinois, 6 of them were guys he was actively recruiting at Toledo.  Knowing his limitations with a 6 week timeline, I’m guessing he targeted guys from his Toledo list who he felt could play in the Big Ten.  That’s all good and fine for this class, but next year, he has to develop those relationships with what looks like the best in-state class in years.

3) Hello Cleveland.  Rock and roll.  Beckman grew up in Berea, Ohio (suburb of Cleveland), and 5 of the 10 recruits he added to this class are within a 30 minute drive of Berea.  Remember how Zook had a high concentration of players from Jacksonville, Florida (Disch) and Washington DC (Locksley)?  It looks like the main area where Beckman will try to get plugged in is Cleveland.

OK – to the list.

INSTANT IMPACT PLAYERS

TaJarvis Fuller (3-star on Rivals, 3-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Safety/Linebacker
Fort Meyers, FL (Dunbar)
Best offers: Georgia Tech, Louisville, Wisconsin, UCLA

The biggest reason I think TaJarvis will be an instant impact player: he’s already in school.  He’s one of two recruits in this class (Daniel Rhodes is the other) to enroll early, so he’ll get a head start on learning Tim Banks’ defense in the spring.  Another reason: if he can play strong safety, he might play right away.

Watching his film, he probably projects as a linebacker type.  He was a Zook recruit, and I believe Vic Koenning had designs on making him a Busseybacker.  There’s been a lot of talk that Beckman’s defenses have always had a “star” linebacker (more or less a Busseybacker – half safety, half linebacker), so it’s possible that Fuller could end up there.  But part of me still wants him as a big-hittin’ Kevin Mitchell safety.

ALE Projection: These projections will be hard this year, mostly because we don’t know the specifics of the schemes yet.  So I’ll go out on a limb and say that Banks’ defense has room for a linebackery safety, and Fuller gets some minutes backing up Supo Sanni.

Here’s Fuller when he signed with Illinois:

GREAT GETS

TJ Neal (3-star on Rivals, 3-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Linebacker
McKeesport, PA
Best Offers: Auburn, Florida, Nebraska, USC

Of all the players I reviewed, Neal probably looks the best on tape.  You know how some linebackers just seem to toy with the offensive lineman getting to the second level that are trying to block them?  How they kind of keep them at arms length until they’re ready to shed them and make the tackle?  That’s what I love about Neal.  He shed’s his block and wraps up – looks like he’s had good coaching in high school.

But I’m putting him down here and not in “Instant Impact Players” because we’re just fine at linebacker next year.  Jonathan Brown in the middle, Houston Bates (and maybe Henry Dickinson) one one side, Ashante Williams (or maybe Earnest Thomas or Zeph Grimes) on the other.  So I think Neal is coming in and trying to fight Ralph Cooper for backup middle linebacker.

ALE Projection: No redshirt, special teams player, a few spot minutes at middle linebacker.  But in the future, I think he’s Jonathan Brown’s replacement.

Dami Ayoola (3-star on Rivals, 3-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Running Back
Ft. Lauderdale, FL (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Best Offers: Notre Dame, Auburn, Wisconsin, West Virginia

I know you’re wondering – it’s pronounced “Dommy Uh-YOO-luh”.  And he comes from the top high school program in the country (St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale).  I thought we’d lose him to Notre Dame, and I was certain that he would decommit – he verballed to Illinois only 2 days before Zook was fired – but in the end, even though it appeared he might go to Boston College, he stuck with Illinois.

Ayoola is an interesting little tailback.  He’s short (5′-9″ or so), but he’s not a scatback.  He’s more of a power runner, with thick legs and a powerful drive.  The thing I like best about him is his change of direction.  He has that quick hop to the left or right to avoid a tackler that Pierre Thomas has.  It will be interesting to see how we use him.  Next year, Donovonn Young is the power back and Josh Ferguson is the scatback, but Ayoola will probably get carries as well.  He’s 5′-9″, but I think we use him more like Young than Ferguson.

ALE Projection: We need three tailbacks, so one of the freshmen will play.  I’m guessing Ayoola is the guy.  I think he’ll be 4th on the team in rushing next fall, behind Scheelhaase, Young, and Ferguson.

V’Angelo Bentley (3-star on Rivals, 3-star on Scout, not rated by ESPN)
Cornerback
Cleveland, OH (Glenville)
Best Offers: Iowa, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Air Force

He’s not ranked as high as some of these other guys, and he doesn’t have the offers that the players above have, but I might be more excited about Bentley than any other player in this class.  We need cornerbacks so very badly, and I think this kid can be a great one.  Go watch some of his highlights from this video to see what I’m talking about.  It’s 14 minutes long, so just skip to the 2:10 mark and watch all of his highlights from the game that Glenville played at Ohio State’s stadium.  Punt return for a touchdown, fumble return for a touchdown, and several great runs (he was a tailback in high school but projects as a corner in college).

I’m a huge fan of high school tailbacks at cornerback (see: Green, Justin).  And with Green and Hawthorne set to graduate next year, we’ll have openings for starters at both cornerback spots.  I’m guessing Bentley will hold down one of those spots in 2013.

ALE Projection: I don’t think he redshirts.  I think he’s our 3rd or 4th corner next year, and a starter in 2013. That’s probably putting too much on a kid who only had 4 or 5 BCS offers, but I really like his film.  And his high school.  And his hat.

Teko Powell (3-star on Rivals, 3-star on ESPN, 2-star on Scout)
Defensive Tackle
Miami, FL (Norland)
Best Offers: Florida, Florida State, LSU, Wisconsin

I see a theme developing.  It’s called “recruit guys from high school powerhouse programs”.  Ayoola is from St. Thomas Aquinas.  Bentley from Cleveland Glenville.  And Powell is from Miami Norland.  These are high schools that produce multiple FBS athletes every single year, so I’m glad that Beckman’s staff is targeting the factories.

Powell fits a big need – we’re pretty short on defensive tackles once Glenn Foster graduates and Akeem Spence possibly leaves for the NFL (something I think he does after next season).  We have Jake Howe and Austin Teitsma, and I think redshirt freshman Chris O’Connor might play some DT, but that’s it.  So getting a good DT from a good program with a great offer list is a big win.

ALE Projection: I still think he redshirts, though.  Next year, we’ll have Spence and Foster starting with Howe and Teitsma backing them up – I think Powell redshirts and adds some weight to his current +/- 280 pounds (ESPN lists him at 250 pounds).

RECRUITS I’M EXCITED ABOUT BUT CAN’T REALLY TELL YOU WHY

LaKeith Walls (3-star on Rivals, 2-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Running Back / Athlete
Cleveland, OH (Rhodes)
Best Offers: Iowa, Louisville, NC State, Pittsburgh

All Cleveland all the time.  That’s a theme you’ll see in this class and hopefully the next eight.  Our head coach is more plugged-in in Cleveland than any other city, so that’s where we’ll recruit the hardest.

Walls is an interesting prospect.  He doesn’t go to one of the football factory schools in Cleveland, so he’s a little off the radar, but I feel like we found a steal.  He’s maybe too tall for a running back but has many long runs on his film.  And he runs kind of weird (upright with shoulders moving), but he’s deceptively fast.  So my hope is that he finds his way to safety, learns some technique, and then uses that speed to blow up receivers over the middle.

And, of course, by “blow up” I simply mean “gently help to the ground within the rules of football”.

ALE Projection: Tried at tailback, sitting behind Young, Ferguson, and Ayoola, switches to safety as a redshirt freshman, blows people up starting in 2014.

Vontrell Williams (3-star on Rivals, 3-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Defensive Tackle
Chicago, IL (Mt. Carmel)
Best Offers: Michigan State, Kansas, Indiana

All Chicago all the time.  If we’re going to get plugged in with Cleveland Glenville and Miami Norland, let’s get in good with Mt. Carmel as well.  And if we’re going to get in good with Mt. Carmel, why not bring in an athletic defensive tackle who can move a little bit?

I really like Williams on film, and I have no idea why he only had 3 other BCS offers.  He’s big, strong, and surprisingly mobile.  I think he challenges for playing time in 2013.

ALE Projection: Redshirt for strength, he and Powell push Teitsma and Howe for playing time in 2013.

Joseph Spencer (3-star on Rivals, 3-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Center/Guard
Mason, OH
Best Offers: Cincinnati, NC State, South Florida

I really like this guy.  I like what some of the talent evaluators at Rivals had to say.  I like that he finishes blocks on film.  I like that he projects as a center.  I like that he’s an offensive lineman from Ohio, because for some reason, in my head, offensive linemen from Ohio are 31% better than offensive linemen from any other state.

ALE Projection: Redshirt for strength (duh), and then he’s immediately in the competition with Jake Feldmeyer and Tony Durkin for the starting center position after Graham Pocic graduates next year.

Devin Church (3-star on Rivals, 2-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Running Back
Bloomfield, MI (Brother Rice)
Best Offers: Boston College, NIU, Toledo

Flipped him from NIU, so he’s automatically going to be as diamond-in-the-rough as Jon Asamoah, another player we flipped from the Huskies.  And I like him on film – great vision.  If you’ve read this blog for long, you know I’m a sucker for great vision.  What made Mikel Leshoure great in my book was his ability to see a hole before it was there.  And run full speed at that spot until it appeared.  And then make one extra cut once he got through that hole.  I see some of that in Church’s film.  Does he have the physical skills to make it work?  We’ll see.

I’m also working on some Rick Reilly-ish quips for Church in a few years.  Stuff like “CALL ME SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST BECAUSE I LIKE CHURCH ON SATURDAYS”.  It’s gonna be epic(ally bad).

ALE Projection: I’m 50-50 on Church redshirting.  If Ayoola can be our #3 tailback, then yes, I think Church redshirts.  But there’s a chance he plays.  There’s also a chance that all three tailbacks work out and we move Church to corner (like Justin Green).

RECRUITS I’M NOT THAT EXCITED ABOUT BUT CAN’T REALLY TELL YOU WHY

Ryan Frain (2-star on Rivals, 2-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Kicker
Indianapolis, IN (Scecina)
Best Offers: Georgia Tech

I always have to begin players listed in this category with a giant NO DISRESPECT disclaimer. I’m simply calling it like I see it. And this one I don’t get.

Yes, we lost Derek Dimke. But at kicker, we have Nick Immekus. And Taylor Zalewski. And Baron Von Mieghem. And Patrick Dunn. Out of those four we can’t find a solid kicker? To the point where we had to use a scholarship to get one?  I don’t get it.

(This means Frain will win the job and kick a 59 yarder to beat Northwestern)

(Just kidding. No chance we’d need a last-second field goal to beat Fitzee)

BJ Bello (2-star on Rivals, 2-star on Scout, not evaluated by ESPN)
Safety
New Lenox, IL (Lincoln Way West)
Best Offers: Toledo, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Ball State

We do need safeties.  But I’m not sure if we need safeties who we flipped from Western Michigan.  Sorry, BJ, nothing personal, but the word “Western” followed by the word “Michigan” makes me flinch.  So while I’m glad you chose the orange and blue over that awful school from Kalamazoo, I’m still gonna keep one eye on you, because there’s a 17% chance you’re a Western Michigan spy.

Mason Monheim (3-star on Rivals, 2-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Linebacker
Orrville, OH
Best Offers: the entire MAC conference (seriously – 11 offers, 10 from the MAC and one from Illinois)

We need linebackers?  I didn’t know we needed linebackers.  After TJ Neal and Tajarvis Fuller, I kinda thought we didn’t need any more linebackers.  With BadNewsBrown and RBOBK (Houston Bates) and Dickinson and Cooper and Zeph Grimes and Earnest Thomas, I thought we were pretty set at linebacker.  Add Neal and Fuller to that mix, and I’m surprised we also added Monheim and…

Mike Svetina (3-star on Rivals, 2-star on ESPN, 2-star on Scout)
Linebacker
Cleveland, OH (St. Ignatius)
Best Offers: Syracuse, Air Force, Toledo

We need linebackers?  Gosh, I’m being unfair here.  Monheim and Svetina could be J Leman and Brit Miller, and here I am claiming there’s no room at the inn.

Wait – Svetina is in the 6′-2″/6′-3″ range, right?  Any chance we can bulk him up and move him to defensive end?  We can? GOOD.  I’m on board.  Welcome Mike Svetina.

RECRUITS I JUST DON’T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT

Robbie Bain (3-star on Rivals, 2-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Guard/Center
Bolingbrook, IL
Best Offers: Colorado State, Western Michigan, Bowling Green

I get to use this once per year, so I’m choosing to use it here: Offensive linemen are a crapshoot.  2-star guys go to the NFL, 4-star guys never find the field.  So with many offensive linemen recruits, I don’t pay much attention.  Redshirt, get stronger, understudy, let’s see what you got in 2014.

Daniel Rhodes (2-star on Rivals, unknown, unknown)
Tight End
Charlotte, NC (Independence)
Best Offers: can’t remember

Totally forgot about Rhodes. He was one of the guys that was on our committed list last year right up until signing day, and then he and Hunter Wells went elsewhere (Wells eventually ended up at Miami, FL, and Rhodes disappeared). Well, as of today, he’s back. And I can’t remember anything about him besides thinking “maybe he’ll grow into a left tackle” last year.

Taylor Barton (3-star on Rivals, 2-star on ESPN, 2-star on Scout)
Safety
Orlando, FL (Lake Highland)
Best Offers: Syracuse, Temple, Ball State

We need safeties.  He’s a safety.  That’s all I got.  His offer list isn’t strong, but he’s a defensive back from Florida, so that makes me happy.  Given the numbers issues, he might find the field sooner rather than later.

Jevaris Little (3-star on Rivals, 2-star on Scout, not evaluated by ESPN)
Cornerback
St. Petersburg, FL (Lakewood)
Best Offers: Indiana, Kansas, Toledo

This one came down to Illinois and Indiana, with Illinois coming out on top.  The good news: he’s a defensive back from Florida.  The bad news: this one came down to Illinois or Indiana.

Justin Hardee (2-star on Rivals, 2-star on Scout, not evaluated by ESPN)
Wide Receiver
Cleveland, OH (Glenville)
Best Offers: Toledo, Bowling Green, Ohio

There’s that Cleveland word again.  How many Browns fans can one team recruit?  Hardee is a teammate of Bentley and projects as a wide receiver.  But given his size and athleticism, I want him at safety.

Jason Robertson (2-star on Rivals, 3-star on ESPN, 3-star on Scout)
Wide Receiver
Frankfort, IL (Lincoln Way East)
Best Offers: Western Michigan (his only other listed offer)

Every year, there’s a guy in the class that I should pay more attention to but don’t. For whatever reason. It was Akeem Spence in 2009 – I was all fired up about the late flip of Justin Green from Ohio State to Illinois that I didn’t pay attention to a defensive tackle from Florida who committed late. This year, it’s Robertson. Scout and ESPN both list him as one of our top-5 recruits. Why would I more or less ignore an in-state receiver listed highly like that?

I promise to do better next year. And I’ll go watch more of his film later and maybe come back and edit this.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It is now time to DO. WORK.  As of right… NOW the grace period for Tim Beckman’s recruiting is over.  He found some nice pieces in the last 6 weeks, fought off some other suitors for guys like Ayoola and Powell, and filled some needs last minute with guys like Bentley.

But now – as in, right now – it is time to DO. WORK.  The 2013 class in-state keeps looking better by the day.  Guys like Ty Issac and Logan Tuley Tillman already look like 5-star possibilities.  Aaron Bailey MUST be our quarterback of the future.  We need top-end talent and soon.  At the high point of his recruiting, I believe Ron Zook had 19 four-star players on his roster at the beginning of 2009.  After the final whistle next November in Evanston, we’ll be down to one (Nathan Scheelhaase) for 2013.  One.

You can’t win 8 games in the Big Ten with one blue chipper.  You just can’t.  So it it imperative that Tim Beckman bring in talent talent talent in 2013.

OK, I can’t close with that.  The label for the 2012 class can’t be “hope we get some blue chippers in 2013″.  Guys like Teko Powell, TJ Neal, and Dami Ayoola could have named their school, and they picked Illinois.  Welcome, gentlemen.  Time for you to be the class that builds the foundation for the new era of Illini Football.  Where every other player is a linebacker.

With signing day coming up next Wednesday, I thought I might go through the three-deep again to see if our current class is lining up with our future needs.  I’m not gonna lie – Terry Hawthorne, Michael Buchanan, and Akeem Spence flirting with the NFL but returning to school makes this three-deep much more attractive.

I have to make a few guesses with this depth chart.  We don’t really know the schemes that Gonzales/Beatty and Banks will run, so I really don’t know if I should put down four wide receivers or two tight ends.  So I’ll try to cover all positions on offense (except for fullback), and I’ll return us to a basic 4-3 defense with no bandits or Busseybackers.  I’m also taking out the weak/strong offensive line and going back to having a left tackle and a right tackle.

QB: Nathan Scheelhaase (JR) / Reilly O’Toole (SO) / Chase Haslett (rs-FR)
RB: Donovonn Young (SO) / Josh Ferguson (rs-FR) / Ean Days (SO)
TE: Evan Wilson (JR) / Jon Davis (SO) / Justin Lattimore (JR) / Matt LaCosse (SO)
LT: Simon Cvijanovic (rs-SO) / Patrick Flavin (rs-FR) / Chris Boles (rs-FR)
LG: Hugh Thornton (SR) / Tyler Sands (SR) / Ted Karras (rs-FR)
C: Graham Pocic (SR) / Jake Feldmeyer (JR) / Tony Durkin (rs-FR)
RG: Alex Hill (rs-SO) / Shawn Afryl (rs-SO) / Kevin Griffin (rs-SO walkon)
RT: Michael Heitz (rs-SO) / Corey Lewis (SR) / Scott McDowell (rs-FR)
WR1: Darius Millines (JR) / Jeremy Whitlow (rs-FR) / Kenny Knight (rs-FR)
WR2: Spencer Harris (JR) / Jordan Frysinger (rs-FR) / Fritz Rock (rs-SO)
WR3: Ryan Lankford (JR) / Miles Osei (JR) / Jake Kumerow (SO-walkon)

DE: Michael Buchanan (SR) / Justin Staples (SR) / Brandon Denmark (JR)
DT: Glenn Foster (SR) / Jake Howe (rs-SO) / Chris O’Connor (rs-FR)
DT: Akeem Spence (JR) / Austin Teitsma (rs-SO) / John Valentine (rs-FR walkon)
DE: Tim Kynard (JR) / DJ Woods (rs-SO) / Kenny Nelson (rs-FR)
WLB: Houston Bates (rs-SO) / Henry Dickinson (SO) / Beau Sullivan (JR walkon)
MLB: Jonathan Brown (JR) / Ralph Cooper (SO) / Alex Porter (SO walkon)
SLB: Ashante Williams (SR) / Earnest Thomas (rs-SO) / Zephaniah Grimes (rs-FR)
CB: Terry Hawthorne (SR) / Eaton Spence (rs-FR) / Kaeman Mitchell (JR walkon)
FS: Steve Hull (JR) / Ben Mathis (JR-walkon) / Austin Abner (rs-FR walkon)
SS: Supo Sanni (SR) / Patrick Nixon-Youman (SR) / Nick North (rs-FR)
CB: Justin Green (SR) / Valdon Cooper (SO) / Jack Ramsey (SR)

K: Taylor Zalewski (rs-FR) / Nick Immekus (rs-SO) / Brennen Van Mieghem (rs-FR)
P: Justin DuVernois (SO) / Brad Janitz (rs-SO) / Garrett Stroup (rs-FR)

So next year looks very defense-y.  2013 looks very offense-y.  And 2014 looks very scary.

With Hawthorne, Buchanan, and Spence back, Tim Banks has a lot to work with next year.  The loss of Mercilus, Thomas, Wilson, and Henry will be large – I have no idea who will be the nickel corner next year (Jack Ramsey?) – but there are some legitimate stars in Jonathan Brown, Terry Hawthorne, Michael Buchanan, and Akeem Spence.  Get a few big senior years from Justin Green and Glenn Foster and maybe this defense won’t take that large of a step back.

But in 2013, from this view, yikes.  Gone are Buchanan, Foster, Williams, Hawthorne, Sanni, Green, and PNY, with a good chance Akeem Spence declares early and also the possibility of Jonathan Brown leaves. Good luck, Tim Banks.

The good news is, the offense should be solid in 2013.  Next year we’ll likely only have 2 seniors contributing – Hugh Thornton and Graham Pocic.  Every other position – even going 4 deep at tailback and 6 deep at receiver – there are no seniors.  What we see next year is basically what we’ll see in 2013.

But in 2014, from this view, yikes.  We’ll lose almost all of our passing game (Scheelhaase and possibly his top 4 targets) and maybe a few more offensive linemen.  Reilly O’Toole will have to develop a rapport with a whole new crop of receivers.

Now, at this point I realize the ridiculousness of projecting the 2014 team.  60% of those players aren’t even on the roster yet.  But that’s why I’m doing this.  I’m trying to find our needs in a few years.  Football recruiting isn’t about next year – it’s about recruiting for 2-3 seasons from now.  What are our needs then?  In order:

1. Secondary.  After next season, we’ll have 4 scholarship players in the secondary: Steve Hull, Valdon Cooper, Eaton Spence, and Nick North.  We should have 8 or 9.
2. Defensive Line.  Defensive Tackle more than Defensive End, but we need both.
3. Running Back.  No seniors, no juniors.  At tailback right now we have Donovonn Young, Josh Ferguson, and converted safety Ean Days.  We should have 5 or 6 on the roster.
4. Offensive Tackle.  We have a lot of guard-and-center types, but I only see 4 true tackles.  I’d like to see two more.

So how does the current class break down?

QB – 0
RB – 2
OL – 3 (2 OG/C, 1 OT)
TE – 0
WR – 3
DE – 0
DT – 2
LB – 2
CB – 1
S – 2
K – 1

Combine those two lists, and here’s where it leaves us: with issues defending the pass.  In a few years we’ll be woefully short at defensive end, cornerback, and safety. We’ve spent a lot of time recruiting bandits (undersized defensive ends that can also line up on a slot receiver like Brandon Denmark and Darrius Caldwell), and now we’ll be asking them to play more of a traditional defensive end role.

On offense, we’ve addressed the tailback situation (although we’ll need two more tailbacks next year), but I still feel we’re short at offensive tackle.  And what happens at receiver after the Millines/Lankford/Harris trio graduates?  One more thing – we’ll need a QB in next year’s class who can come in and understudy for a few years.

So in the next 5 days, I’d sure love to close on a few defensive linemen (I’m looking at you, Vincent Valentine) and maybe another cornerback (hi there, Sean Draper).  And next year, a QB, a few offensive tackles, a stud receiver, a monster defensive end, two athletic corners, and a ballhawking safety are desired, nay, required.  It’s only the most important recruiting class of your career – no pressure, Coach Beckman.

So, random football and basketball stuff:

Black….Cat..Black….Cat

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Terry Hawthorne fan. In fact, the very first words of the very first (legitimate) post here at ALE compared Terry Hawthorne to Deron Williams. No, really.

I get a Deron Williams vibe from Hawthorne. Part of a tandem of top recruits at his school, all the way until the end of his senior season the other guy was hyped more, and near the end articles like “you know, Terry Hawthorne might be the best player in the entire Midwest” start popping up.

That summer, before he played a single snap, I suggested insisted that he should return every kick and punt for the next 4 years. And, using his high school nickname, I even said the following:

When Terry Hawthorne drops back to return a kickoff against ISU in 53 days, I want the scoreboard to show the intro to the Janet Jackson “Black Cat” video as the crowd begins to chant “Black……..Cat..Black……..Cat”. Then cue the wildcat growl, then the music, and watch the stands come alive as the guitar riff wails. Hawthorne plays some air guitar in the south endzone, pyrotechnics blast from the ends of the goal posts, the horseshoe erupts, and as the kick sails in the air towards Black Cat, you’ll see me dancing in the aisle of section 122 like the guy in the polka-dot shirt at the 1:23 mark.

WHY HAS THIS NOT HAPPENED YET?? Well, I guess I can tell you why it hasn’t happened yet: An injury as a freshman prevented him from finding the field until October (with no kick returns). Another injury as a sophomore gave Jack Ramsey the punt return job. And this year, well, this year Ron Zook insisted on giving the punt return job to Ryan Lankford. WORTH NOTING HERE: We had 39 punt return yards in the 12 regular season games, and then Hawthorne had 31 yards in the Hunger Bowl.

This is not to disparage Ryan Lankford. I’m certain he’ll do a fine job in 2013. But this fall, it’s Black Cat time. (By the way, the first time I interviewed Terry Hawthorne I asked him if he liked the nickname – he loves it. Another aside – in an interview I was unable to post right after the KFHB I told Jonathan Brown that I had started the #badnewsbrown hashtag – he also loves it. He then told me has very high goals for himself next year. And then he gave me a hug. Cool story, Hansel.)

Where was I? Yes – Black Cat and Bad News Brown. That’s your 2012 Illini defense. I hereby set the expectations for both players at First Team All Big Ten. And I want Black Cat returning every single punt and kickoff. With music. And pyrotechnics.

It Was So Wisconsiny Of Them

It’s amazing how quickly I can hate a Wisconsin player these days. I mean, it took me 93 seconds to hate Ben Brust. And I already have all of this built-up Gasser hate from last year, which, combined with my Bruesewitz hate, makes my head hurt. And if Jordan Taylor wasn’t so awesome and ice cold assassin-y, I’d hate him too.

So to lose a game like that yesterday, well, that wasn’t good for my blood pressure. It’s almost impossible for me to watch the entire Wisconsin bench erupt after a made three pointer in Assembly Hall. It’s like all the kids you couldn’t stand in high school, all gathered together mocking you. I wanted to throw something at the screen.

Less than a week ago, I suggested that we could go 4-1 through the @PSU, Wisconsin, @Minnesota, MSU, NW portion of our schedule and find ourselves still in first place when we head to Indiana. Now that we’ve lost the first two of those, I’m seeing 2-3. And after that, we’re hoping for .500 the rest of the way (we have to go to Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State in the final 8 games). Something tells me Jerry Palm’s 2-seed projection was a bit of a reach.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Get Out Of ALE Free Card

Here at A Lion Eye Inc, from time to time, we hand out free passes. And Tim Beckman will receive one for the 2012 Illini recruiting class.

Let’s be honest here – it’s probably going to be ranked as the worst class in the Big Ten. It was ranked second to last when Beckman took over, and the only 4-star recruit (linebacker Keith Brown) has since decommitted and verballed to Louisville.

With limited time (and limited scholarships), Beckman and his new staff are behind the 8-ball trying to put this class together. It’s gone about as good as you could hope in the last few weeks, gaining commitments from linebacker TJ Neal (who once listed Nebraska as his favorite and also had offers from Auburn and Florida) and defensive tackle Teko Powell (who had offers from Florida and Wisconsin and Florida State and others). But kids like that are few and far between in January, so it appears that Beckman is concentrating on kids he was recruiting to Toledo that he feels could play in the Big Ten. This includes linebacker Mason Monheim (he was down to Toledo and Illinois I believe, so Toledo’s coach taking the Illinois job made his decision a no-brainer), wide receiver Justin Hardee, running back (defensive back?) Devin Church, and cornerback Javaris Little (who visited Toledo the weekend after Beckman left for Illinois, visited Illinois this weekend, and picked the Illini yesterday).

But in the recruiting battle, we have to do better than “guys Beckman was recruiting to Toledo”. This is the Big Ten, and the way the upper echelon is recruiting, we’ll be in big trouble if we don’t step it up.

The good news: I think Beckman steps it up. Given the number of talented in-state players next year and the staff Beckman put together, I think we can pull in a top-25 class in 2013. If not, we’ll be in big trouble, talent-wise. So 2013 needs to be a monster class.

2012 does too, but Beckman gets a free pass. Just this once.

Besides “get guys who can recruit”, it appears to me that Tim Beckman targeted assistant coaches from winning programs.  Keith Gilmore we know, and Luke Butkus came from the NFL, but the other 7 assistants have a common thread: a winning history.

Golesh, Ward, and Clinkscale came over with Beckman from Toledo, where Beckman took a downtrodden program from 5-7 to 8-5 to 9-4.

Chris Beatty coached 3 bowl games at West Virginia before moving to Vanderbilt for a year with James Franklin (a coach who won’t be at Vandy very long after leading them to a bowl in his first season).

Billy Gonzales followed Urban Meyer from Bowling Green to Utah to Florida before parting ways with Meyer and heading to LSU.  I hear they win a few games here and there.

And new defensive coordinator Tim Banks followed Butch Jones from his successful stint at CMU to his 10-win season this year at Cincinnati.

Find winners.  Find coaches who have been around winning programs, and use that knowledge to build a tradition of winning in Champaign.

Compare that to the Ron Zook coaching hires like Mike Woodford (who had been out of football) or Jim Pry (who came from Akron), and Kurt Beathard (who came from Eastern Kentucky), and you understand my (and Charlie Sheen’s) point.  It appears that Tim Beckman is serious about winning. He’s hired recruiters who come from programs on the upswing.

But can they coach?

Keith Gilmore (Defensive Line)

I don’t really need to tell you anything about Keith Gilmore.  Corey Liuget.  Whitney Mercilus.  Ball-on-a-Stick. You know it all already.  Glad he’s back.

Tim Banks (Defensive Coordinator)

I’ll be honest – he’s probably the most underwhelming hire of the 9 assistants, partly because of his inexperience and mostly because he gets to be The Guy Who Replaced Vic Koenning.

Of all the positions, I was hoping this one would be the home run hire (in my opinion, that’s Gonzales).  Given the way Big Ten football works, you simply must have a competent defense.  So I was hoping for a big name to jump from a big program. (I know, right?  I’m an Illinois fan hoping for a “big name” to jump from a big program to Champaign.  I’ll never learn.)

But this doesn’t mean Tim Banks isn’t a solid hire.  After some quick research, it appears that Banks made the play calls and took the lead in game-planning at Cincinnati, so my concerns over him being a co-coordinator are alleviated.  I wanted someone with play-calling (specifically, blitz-calling) experience, and it looks like Banks has that on his resume. And after a bumpy 2010 season (Butch Jones’ first year at Cincy with a very young team), the Cincinnati defense had a very solid year in 2011.

Can he recruit?  We’ll see.  Can he magically put together a defense with only 15 or 16 contributors that lost 3 players to the NFL and finish 7th in the nation?  We’ll see.  Good luck, Guy Who Replaced Vic Koenning.

Mike Ward – Linebackers

Mike Ward and Tim Beckman have a long history.  Ward was the strength coach at Findlay in the mid-80′s when Beckman was a player.  Ward moved on to Bowling Green to become strength coach, and in 2000, some defensive coordinator named Tim Beckman picked him to be defensive line coach.

Beckman and Ward coached together at Bowling Green until 2005 when Beckman moved on to Ohio State. In 2007, when Beckman took the defensive coordinator job at Oklahoma State, Ward got the defensive coordinator job at Bowling Green.  And when Beckman got the head coaching job at Toledo two years later, who did he hire as his co-defensive coordinator? Mike Ward.  And when Beckman got the Illinois job, who did he bring with him? Alex Golesh. And Mike Ward.

So I guess you can call him his right hand man (kind of like Billy Gonzales and Urban Meyer, if you will – you know, before their fallout).  Many coaches like having a right hand man (think Vic Koenning & Ron West), and Ward appears to be that guy for Beckman.

I don’t think anything is official, but I believe Ward will be coaching linebackers. Lucky guy.  With Jonathan Brown returning, Houston Bates, Henry Dickinson, Ralph Cooper, and new commit TJ Neal all fighting for minutes, plus Ashante Williams, Earnest Thomas, Zeph Grimes, and early-enrollee TaJarvis Fuller fighting for playing time on the outside, Ward will have more pieces to play with than any other position coach on the staff.

Can he recruit?  Well, TJ Neal mentioned him specifically in one of the articles discussing his verbal, so that’s a good sign.  Can he coach?  We shall see.

Steven Clinkscale – Secondary

Unfair, but I’ll say it:  Clinkscale is the most likely candidate for Coach I Get Angry At Because The Defense Isn’t As Solid As 2011.  Totally unfair, but I can see it already.

First, he’s replacing a one-year assistant (Mike Gillhamer) who did a pretty outstanding job.  Gillhamer took 6 guys – Wilson, Hawthorne, Green, Hull, Sanni, and PNY – and molded our best secondary in a generation.  We finished 3rd nationally against the pass (behind only Alabama and South Carolina), and before you go giving credit for that stout defense to the Whitney the Mercilus and Michael Buchanan, go back and see how many of their sacks were coverage sacks.  We might never see another Illini defense finish 3rd nationally against the pass.

So now, our NFL assistant coach is gone, our coordinator is gone, the versatile player that made that secondary click is gone (Tavon Wilson), and it’s Clinkscale’s job to try to replicate what we just accomplished. Good luck, coach.

Ooh – I know how he could win me over quickly.  RECRUITING.  Bring me a 4-star offensive tackle from Youngstown, Ohio and we’ll be BFF’s, Stevie.

What?  Oh – Clinkscale’s history.  There’s not much to talk about.  He was an assistant coach at his Division II Alma Mater (Ashland University in Ohio) until 2007, and then after a one-year stint at Western Carolina, Beckman hired him as cornerbacks coach at Toledo.  So with only 3 years of FBS experience, he and Golesh share the title of Woefully Inexperienced Assistant Coach.  Like Golesh, I think he’s being brought along mostly for his recruiting.  Which is great.

But…

But can they coach?

This is my signature out of convenience.  I used to put fun things there at the bottom of all my posts – I had President Hogan’s fantastic quote from before the Illinois/Northwestern Wrigley game for a long time…

“Red Grange played at Wrigley. Dick Butkus played at Wrigley. The sign outside may have been painted purple, but the echoes inside are orange and blue.”

…but for now, I’ve gone with “but can they coach?” Why? Because all I seem to talk about these days are the assistant coaches that Tim Beckman is hiring. And every time I discuss their recruiting acumen, I’m left to wonder one thing. Can they coach?

Here. Watch. I’ll discuss each coach, and when we’re done, like some call-and-response church service, I’ll simply look to you and let you say “but can he coach?”

Billy Gonzales, co-Offensive Coordinator

A home run hire, in my book.  I first became aware of Gonzales when he was Urban Meyer’s recruiting coordinator at Florida.  News of his departure for LSU hit my ears – someone pointed me to this article where he left by leaving a sticky note for Meyer – and then when Florida fans started to decry the fact that Urban Meyer picked Steve Addazio instead of Gonzales (here’s what EDSBS had to say, including their awesome panda gif)…

Gonzales was aggrieved due to not getting the OC job after the departure of Dan Mullen for Mississippi State, but who can argue with Urban’s logic given the success the team has had HNNNNNNNNNNGGGG—–

Our emotions regarding this matter can only be summed up thusly:

…I was then aware of Billy Gonzales, his recruiting skills, and the why-won’t-anyone-let-him-be-OC cloud hanging over his head. If Florida fans hated to see him go, I love him already.

So the fact that a top-20-in-college-football recruiter is now headed to Champaign to be our co-offensive coordinator, well, pinch me.  I first heard the rumor days after Beckman was hired when someone used flight tracker to determine that Beckman flew to Baton Rouge, and to be honest, I’ve been dying for it to be official since that very moment.  And when I’m waiting that long for something to happen, I build ridiculous expectations in my head.  Here they are:

• I think he’ll be a better recruiter than Mike Locksley.
• I think he’s more plugged-in in south Florida than Dan Disch was in northern Florida.
• I think when he leaves Champaign, he’ll be known as the best recruiting assistant coach we’ve ever had.

Don’t believe me?  He’s been our assistant coach for 5 hours, and this might happen:

Yesterday the drama continued as word spread that in addition to Morris Claiborne, Michael Brockers and Rueben Randle, who had long ago expressed interest in going pro, another Tiger, Kadron Boone, is considering leaving LSU. At 3:00, LSU held a press conference to announce that Claiborne and Brockers would be leaving early for the NFL. Shortly after, TigerSportsDigest.com reported that Randle has also decided to go pro. Shepard is still undecided, but it looks likely that he will also leave early for the NFL as he is disappointed in the amount of playing time he has received. The deadline for entering the draft is Sunday. Boone is rumored to be following Gonzales to Illinois, although that is not yet official.

Who’s Kadron Boone? Oh, only a 4-star receiver from Florida who would be the most talented player on the field when he’d be eligible at the beginning of the 2013 season (seriously, only Terry Hawthorne and Justin Green were ranked higher in recruiting rankings, and they’re both seniors next year). So yeah, I expect him to recruit like a boss. What’s that? Oh yeah, our call-and-response.

I expect him to recruit, but… (this is where you say “can he coach?”)

Chris Beatty, co-offensive coordinator

I think Gonzales will be calling the plays.  But we have another offensive coordinator (my guess, Gonzales coordinates the passing game and Beatty coordinates the running game).  Oh, and he’s also a fantastic recruiter.

Beatty was Percy Harvin’s high school coach in Virginia Beach (Harvin’s lead recruiter at Florida? BILLY GONZALES.)  He then moved to Hampton for one year, to Northern Illinois for one year, and then to West Virginia where he was recruiting coordinator for Bill Stewart.  Last year, James Franklin hired him to be wide receivers coach/recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt, and after a year there, Beckman brought him here.

His connections in the Virginia Beach area brought multiple 4-star players to West Virginia and several players to Vandy (in their best recruiting class ever).  Now, he gets to use those connections to bring kids to Champaign.  I can’t wait.

What’s that?  How will he do coordinating an offense?  No idea.  He was a high school coach when Zook took over in Champaign.  So yeah, I guess you’re right – he can really recruit, but…

Alex Golesh, Tight Ends, Recruiting Coordinator

Golesh would follow Tim Beckman anywhere.

He was a “student assistant” at Ohio State while Beckman was the secondary coach. When Beckman got the defensive coordinator job at Oklahoma State, he added Golesh as a graduate assistant.  And when Beckman was named head coach at Toledo, he brought in Golesh as running backs coach (and eventually recruiting coordinator).

By the way – anyone seeing a theme here?  Gonzales was recruiting coordinator at Florida.  Beatty was recruiting coordinator at West Virginia and then Vandy.  Golesh was recruiting coordinator at Toledo.  And we’re not done.

I kind of compare this hire to Chip Long, our last tight ends coach.  Right down to the red hair.  Long was a graduate assistant for Paul Petrino, and when we needed a tight ends coach, Petrino hired Long.  Beckman did the same with Golesh at Toledo, and now he’s brought him along to Illinois as well.

So he’ll be the guy in charge of assembling our recruiting classes.  That’s all good and fine, but…

Luke Butkus, Offensive Line

My first reaction to Butkus as the OL coach was a negative one, mostly because I had no idea of his NFL experience.  His five years as and assistant OL coach – 3 with the Bears and 2 with the Seahawks – probably don’t make for the best resume for a BCS line coach job, but hey, his name is Butkus.  YOU tell him he’s not fully qualified.

That little quip I just made – the whole “he’s a Butkus – YOU tell him” bit?  That’s the reason he was hired, and that’s the reason I love the hire.  This University’s biggest selling point – over and above anything ever – is that this is the University of Dick Butkus.  Red Grange too, yes – the greatest college football player of all time played in Champaign.  But while he is alive, Dick Butkus is the main attraction.  The baddest man to ever play the game was an Illini.  His nephew will now enter Chicagoland high schools and recruit players using exactly that tactic.  He’s a Butkus – YOU tell him no.

Yes, it’s really strange for me that a player who played at Illinois after I graduated is now an assistant coach.  An assistant coach in charge of assembling an offensive line that loses Jeff Allen and Jack Cornell and struggled in the second half of the season to find a rhythm.  Young tackles… new offensive scheme… open position battles everywhere but center… good luck, Luke.

I think he’ll be able to recruit – his name will open many doors in this state.  But…

Tim Salem, Running Backs and Special Teams

But can he recruit?

I have to say – Tim Beckman is putting together this coaching staff nearly exactly as I would have done.  Go find the top recruiting assistants and offer them more money to come to Champaign.  With one caveat – find the best Special Teams coach you can, because we’ve had the worst Special Teams in the nation the last 5 years.  Seriously – no team in the country has been collectively worse.

Enter Tim Salem.  Illinois was 120th out of 120 teams last year in kickoff returns, averaging a hard-to-believe 15.71 yards per return.  Central Florida, where Tim Salem was the special teams coach?  3rd nationally, averaging 26.93 yards. Think about that.  That’s one first down the offense doesn’t have to gain on every single drive.  42 kickoff returns for UCF, meaning 42 drives with one less first down required.  11 less yards needed to get into field goal range.  11 yards closer to setting up the other team with poor field position even if you go three-and-out.

And if you think it was just a fluke, in 2010 UCF’s kickoff return teams were #1 nationally, averaging a stunning 27.78 yards per return.  2009?  Oh no – only 13th nationally.

Kickoff coverage?  UCF was 9th last year (Illinois was 82nd). Fluke? Nope.  In 2010 UCF was 3rd, and in 2009 UCF was 10th.

Let’s recap all of this.  Kickoff returns the last 3 years – Salem: 3rd, 1st, 13th.  Zook: 120th, 101st, 105th.

Kickoff coverage the last 3 years – Salem: 9th, 3rd, 10th.  Zook: 82nd, 84th, 90th.

What about punt returns?  Salem: 60th, 12th, 29th.  Zook: 118th, 117th, 114th.

I need a second.  I loved Ron Zook as a “great guy” and all, and the players loved him like a dad, but ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME RON ZOOK?  Do you understand how many close games you lost simply because you spotted the other team more than a hundred yards of field position during the game?  Your best special teams unit in the last three years was the 2011 kickoff coverage team that finished as the 82nd best team out of 120?

Enter Tim Salem.  Enter our offense starting at the 31 instead of the 19.  Enter our opponents needing an extra first down on every single drive. Enter a special teams coordinator whose teams had 906 punt return yards the last 3 years.  Ron Zook’s punt returners? 180 total yards in three years.  I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to Tim Salem’s special teams.

But can he recruit?

Editor’s note: I had originally intended for this to be one giant mega post on all of the assistant coaches, but we’re already north of 1,700 words and we still don’t have a defensive coordinator named.  So once that person is named, look for part two.

It’s Broken

Our offense.  It’s broken.  Sorry – I should be more specific.  The motion offense that Bruce Weber uses for the basketball team is broken.  It needs to be fixed.  I realize that you might be confused, given that the offense for the football team was broken and in need of repair as well.  But this subsection is for the basketball offense.

It’s broken.  Nothing works.  In our last 5 games at Assembly Hall, we were tied with Nebraska with 2 minutes to go (a team we should have destroyed), we went to double overtime with Minnesota (a team we should have destroyed), we beat Cornell by 4 (a team we should have destoryed), we led Coppin State by only 2 with 7:00 to play (a team we should have destroyed), and we beat St. Bonaventure 48-43 in a game where we trailed 39-30 with 5:30 to go.  Oh, and the Bonnies were a team we should have destroyed.

Why are all of these games close?  Because the offense is broken.  Yes, Maniscalco is injured, and DJ hurt his wrist – there’s certainly some excuses out there for why the offense looked so poor yesterday.  But this is the 5th consecutive game at Assembly Hall where our offense sputtered against an inferior opponent.  The last seven minutes against Coppin State and the second overtime against Minnesota are the only times I can remember thinking that the offense was clicking.  The rest of the time, if the ball isn’t in Joseph Bertrand’s hands, we’re in big trouble.

(Sorry to the 3 readers who have been in comas for the last 3 months.  Yes, that’s really what I typed.  Our offense is in huge trouble if the ball isn’t in Joseph Bertrand’s hands.  He’s our best scorer by a country mile.  Yes, really.  Oh, and Kim Jong-il died.)

If we don’t fix the offense, I’m pretty sure we’ll lose 6 of our next 8 games.  And if we lose 6 of our next 8 games, I’m pretty sure we miss the tournament.  And if we miss the tournament, I’m pretty sure Bruce Weber gets fired.  So, hey, Bruce: you might want to fix the offense.

Lost In Transition

As we enter the Beckman era, I’m curious how much rope Illini fans will give.  Whenever there’s a coaching change, I always automatically look forward to Year 3 as being the time that the new staff/schemes begin to make a surge.  Part of this is because of Ron Turner and Ron Zook, who both went from nothingness to a bowl game in Year 3.  Part of this is because other programs, from Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin to Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, usually see a big surge in the third or fourth season.  The systems are in place, the players are recruited for those systems, and patience pays off as the teams continue to climb.

This scenario is a bit different.  Tim Beckman is inheriting a team that has been to back-to-back bowls (albeit a 6-10 Big Ten record those two seasons).  He probably won’t need 3 to 4 years to get the program on track.

Or will he?  Zook’s recruiting fell off in 2010, and while that class fortunately contained many impact players, the 2011 and (so far) 2012 classes are ranked much lower than any other classes that Ron Zook put together.  So if there’s going to be a talent dip approaching, it probably hits somewhat next year and a lot in 2013.

So how much rope will Illini fans give Tim Beckman?  Next year is a transition year – brand new offense, brand new defense, playmakers gone on both sides of the ball, and an entirely new way to go about everything from training camp to team meals.  Look no further than Michigan in 2008 (or Minnesota and Indiana last year) to see that teams with new coaching staffs can sometimes look completely lost the first few years.

And the schedule gets tougher, too.  No more 8 home games, tough slate of non-conference games next year, Washington and Cincinnati in 2013 (with Nebraska and Michigan State added to the schedule), etc.  Beckman will have his hands full working through the last of the Guenther-regime schedules.

So here’s how I see it playing out:  Tim Beckman brings in a fantastic 2013 recruiting class.  Given a full year with his recruiting-heavy staff, he pulls in a legitimate top-25 class next year.  And the next year, while not as great, is still a very solid recruiting class.  But he goes 5-7 one year and 4-8 the other year, and impatient Illini fans start to wonder why we fired 6-6 Ron Zook for 4-8 Tim Beckman.  Will he get enough rope to get those great recruiting classes to their junior and senior years?  Do we have enough talent on the roster to bridge the gap between now and then?  We shall see.

On to the final post-KFHB mailbag.  If I didn’t get to your question, put “hey moron – you never answered my question last time” in your email the next time I do this, and I promise to feel guilty and pick your question.  And thanks to all that sent questions.

With Butkus in as O-line coach and the talk of zone blocking, we will have the personnel to match that? Which current linemen are best suited for that system?
~Neil

The first name that comes to mind is Alex Hill. In Rantoul this summer, he looked like Jon Asamoah II to me – big, mobile, blocks well in space. You have to be mobile if you’re going to block in a scheme like that, and I think that Hill can be that guy.

Another guy might be Jake Feldmeyer.  He was Graham Pocic’s backup all season and didn’t play very much, but he’s a smaller, more mobile guy.  Maybe a switch to a more spread-like zone blocking scheme would move him up into the rotation in one of the guard spots.  Feldmeyer will be a junior next fall.

But again, we’re making some assumptions here that the new offense will be a true spread utilizing zone blocking principles. That will probably be the case – Tim Beckman ran that kind of scheme at Toledo – but there’s always a chance the new offensive coordinator has different ideas. We shall see.

So bowl games are supposed to have an electric atmosphere. And really big bowl games have a really electric atmosphere. Obviously, this was not a ‘big’ bowl, but how would you rate the atmosphere of the game – as it might compare to a game you’ve been to recently? Does the name of the bowl fade away after the kickoff or does it always feel like the ‘Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl’ with two .500 or sub .500 teams playing or does everyone get swept up in the local pageantry and what-not?
~Daniel

It was a bit harder to get a read on the atmosphere at this game, given that I sat in the press box.  And this one was a bit different given that it was held in a baseball stadium.  Students were sent to the temporary bleachers in the outfield, Illini fans were sectioned in different decks – it was a lot different from, say, the Liberty Bowl in 1994.

But the feeling after the victory – especially from the field with the fans trying to get close to the players – was as fun as it gets.  It was great to see.  If I’m honest, I wasn’t sure if we’d even bring 1,000 fans to the game.  West coast, interim coach, team on a 6 game losing streak, etc.  I figured most everyone would stay home.  But there were definitely many more Illini fans than the supposed 1,800 that bought tickets through the school.  I’m guessing thousands more purchased tickets at the box office (or on the street), so the groupings of orange as seen from the field after the game were a bit surprising.  Still the smallest Illini bowl crowd of any game I’ve been to, but loud and boisterous nonetheless.

And as I said during the week, bowl trips are incredibly fun. A pep rally in Union Square with the 3-in-1 echoing off the downtown buildings.  A luncheon in a hotel ballroom with players and cheerleaders and bands.  Even the knowing nods you give on Powell Street to another fan walking past you wearing orange are fun.  If we go to a bowl again next year, everyone must go.  Trust me, you’ll have a great time.

With the coaching staff nearly finished, what are your thoughts?  I think we’ll really miss Vic Koenning next year, and I don’t think Coach Tenuta will be able to copy what he accomplished with our defense.  What about the rest of the staff?  Who do you think will be the offensive coordinator?
~Justin

Justin sent this email in that tiny window where John Tenuta was going to be our defensive coordinator. So if you know Justin, please don’t give him a hard time.

Here are my coaching staff thoughts. Well, first, here’s a compilation of rumors and tweets as to the last 4 coaches will be. That twitter suggests that Willie Martinez (former Georgia DC) will be the defensive coordinator, and that Billy Gonzales (LSU passing game coordinator) will be our OC, and that the final two coaches will be Richard McNutt and Eddie Faulkner from Northern Illinois. If true, I really, really like how this staff is setting up recruiting-wise. If not true, I’ll delete this post later and deny I ever wrote it.

Here’s the recruiting acumen from the 4 coaches rumored to be filling the final 4 spots on the staff:

Billy Gonzales (from LSU)
If the rumors are true and Gonzales is our offensive coordinator, I think it’s a home run. I think he’s one of the top 20 recruiters in college football. He built monster classes as Urban Meyer’s recruiting coordinator at Florida before moving on to LSU. He would single-handedly keep us connected throughout the state of Florida in recruiting. It would be such a great hire, I refuse to believe it’s true because I don’t think I’d be able to stand the disappointment.

Willie Martinez (from Oklahoma)
If he’s the DC, I like him much better than Tenuta, at least recruiting-wise. Georgia fans will laugh (he and his defensive staff were the fall guys after Georgia’s disappointing 7-5 season in 2009 even though their worst season was 38th in Total Defense), but I’d be very happy to get him. In his last two years as Oklahoma’s secondary coach, he’s been recruiting Texas and Georgia. Yes, please.

Richard McNutt (from NIU)
McNutt was a cornerback at Ohio State who hails from the Chicago area (he went to Rich East HS). I’d love to have a young assistant coach with Chicago connections on the staff (he’s a man – he’s 30). Tour Chicagoland high schools with a former Ohio State player and a coach named Butkus? Yes, please.

Eddie Faulkner (from NIU)
Faulkner is another young guy (34 years old) who was a tailback at Wisconsin. He was offensive coordinator at Ball State for a few years (lost his job when the head coach was fired), and last year he was running backs coach at NIU. Looks like he recruits Chicago and Indiana for NIU, and I’m assuming he would do the same in Champaign.

Please note that other than Twitter rumors, I have no inside information that these four gentlemen will round out the coaching staff. But if the Twitter rumors are true, that’s quite the recruit-y staff that Tim Beckman is putting together. Lots of proven recruiting track records, and lots of young coaches. I like that a lot. But all of that leads to one buzzkill question:

Can they coach?

1) Good win.  Possibly a tourney/no tourney win.  We’ll likely lose at home to Ohio State, and probably Michigan State, so we need to balance that out with road wins.  (Am I wrong that this is where I’m at with this season right now?  Doing weekly bubble math?  Maybe I should have more confidence in us to find more road wins in the Big Ten.)

2) We’re a few free throws away from starting 0-3 in the Big Ten.  Had Julian Welch iced the Minnesota game when he had a chance, and had Northwestern done better than 60% at the line tonight, we’d be staring at 0-3.  Instead, we’re 2-1.  There’s your tourney/no tourney line.

3) Is there any way to measure the height of a ball from a video replay?  Because I swear the shot that Leonard blocked was at least 13 feet off the ground when he swatted it.  How high can Meyers Leonard get on that “jump and hit the highest tab” thingy that they use at the NFL combine?  He has to be able to hit 13′, right?  14′?

4) I like Myke Henry’s approach to his (game winning) free throw.  I’ll call it the “the more I think about it, the better chance I have at missing it, so as soon as this ref hands me the ball, this free throw is going up” approach.  Worked like a charm.  Good work, Myke.

5) It’s amazing how much the season tilted on this game for me.  At halftime, I was “lose this one and we’re definitely going to lose to Ohio State at home.  And then with road trips to Minnesota and Penn State coming up, plus Michigan State at home, there’s a chance we start the Big Ten 4-8.  After the win, I’m all “beat Wisconsin and Michigan State at home and win at Minnesota, and we could start the Big Ten 8-4.”

Good win.  Always great to beat the nerds.  But could we maybe not stand around in the second half and pass the ball around the perimeter with no offensive flow next time?  Thanks bye.

It sounds like you made a great connection with Coach Vic. Count me as one of his biggest fans. Can you give us some insight into the man, the myth, the legend that is Coach Koenning? Any interesting tidbits about him, his coaching style, thoughts he shared on players returning, etc?
~Chris

He’s a humble, confident guy. And extremely generous.  He sought me out to make sure I was getting all the coverage I needed every time I saw him, including in the hallway after the postgame press conference.  Every time he sought me out, I went through this “here he comes – VIC KOENNING is looking to talk to ME” rock star thing.  He was incredibly nice to me the whole week – it was very humbling.

It’s strange – I felt like he was more my friend than the coach I was interviewing this week.  And I already hate myself for typing that because it sounds so arrogant and brag-y.  But I had several long conversations with him, from after practice to St. Anthony’s to the hallway after the game.  Each time he made sure I was having fun and getting all the access I needed.

We talked life.  We talked football.  We talked the coaching carousel.  We talked through the entire 2012 defense.  Most of what we talked about I can’t share – I was asked to keep it confident and I will – but I will share a few tidbits on our young players that he shared.

• He was lamenting not getting an opportunity to coach Darrius Caldwell in the next few years.  Says he would have been one of the better bandits he’s ever coached (a list that includes Demarcus Ware and Gaines Adams).
• He pointed to Henry Dickinson as a player who will do very well in the future on this defense in whatever scheme the new coordinator runs.
• He said that if Jonathan Brown does exactly what Whitney Mercilus did – get better every single practice for the last 2 years, working harder than any other player on the team – then he can follow in Whitney’s footsteps with all of the postseason accolades he received.

I’m twice as sad now than I was 2 weeks ago that Vic is leaving.  I could say it 5 more times but I wouldn’t be able to emphasize enough just how gracious he was to some blogger his wife liked.  Thanks, Vic.  In 10 years we’ll still be pointing back to 2011 and saying “why can’t this defense be like that one?”

Why the thought that Terry Hawthorne could declare early for the draft? What am I missing because I don’t see him as a successful early entrant (he can have success in the NFL, but leave early)? Is he a CB or a Safety in the NFL? Seems fast but a little stiff. Why leave early to be a 3rd/4th rounder if you’re not a running back?
~Brian

I’ve heard rumblings as far back as last April at spring ball that Hawthorne was considering one more year and then take a chance on the NFL. (Look and me, ma! I’m insider-y enough to use the word “rumblings”!)

And after a great second half to the season (15 tackles in the Wisconsin game, pick six in the KFHB), I think he’s probably pushed closer to that goal.  Personally, I think he needs one more year.  Too many injuries in his past to climb the rounds in the draft.  One more (healthy) year, and I think he could push up to the high second round in the 2013 draft.

But we might not see that extra year.  He’ll kill it at the combine in the speed and agility drills – he’s one of the 10 fastest-in-pads players in Illini history – and he’ll get drafted if he goes.  It’s just a matter of whether he wants to return and climb the draft boards next year.  Hope he does.

Did you see anything during the KFHB festivities, on the field or off, that might indicate D. Young’s intentions regarding his future with the program? There were some dreaded twitternet rumors that he might be “homesick,” but I found the clip from St. Anthony’s heartening. Is everything fine?
~Brent

I’ve heard those rumors and discussed them here.  I wish they’d die because I wouldn’t be able to stand the thought of this team without Young next year.  He’s primed to be The Guy.

But the rumors are there – saying that he’s homesick and whatnot.  I’ll say two things:

1) When playing with Jeff Brohm’s kid on the field, I heard him tell the kid “I know you’re dad won’t be here next year, but will you come back and watch me?”  (Can I say that?  Can I “report” something I overheard on the field?  I’m so frightened of breaking the rules that I think I invent rules that don’t exist just to steer clear of them.)  Anyway, I found that encouraging, in a could-be-nothing, could-be-everything kind of way.

2) He MUST come back.  It would be ridiculous for him to sit out a season when he could be getting 200+ carries starting in September.  If he wants to make it to the next level, his best chance is to start showcasing his ability in Memorial Stadium next fall.

And please remember, these are just internet rumors.  I’ve heard them, I’ve seen them on Twitter, but they’ve not been reported by anyone credible.  Well, I guess I just “reported” them, but believe me, I’m not credible.  I’m the guy who hears a rumor like that and texts 10 friends, spreading the rumor like wildfire.  The lesson: never trust a blogger.  Unless he’s friends with Vic Koenning.

Actually, I think that would only be 28 because I skipped a few numbers along the way.  Why am I telling you this?  Why can’t I just jump right in to the mailbag?  And while I’m asking questions, why can’t I root for Michigan in a BCS bowl?  I’ve found that I cheer for 9 of the 12 B1G teams in bowls, but I cannot cheer for Michigan, Iowa, or Northwestern.  Tried again this year, couldn’t make myself do it.

ANYWAY, to the mailbag.  This first question is so awesome I might just spend the entire first mailbag post on that question and get to the rest of the questions tomorrow and Thursday.

Who wins a matchup between the ’89 offense/’94 defense vs. ’01 offense/’11 defense? I’d watch that game.
~ Ryan

Man do I love this question.  I’ve spent a half hour thinking about it.

First off, that 89/94 team is a monster.  Jeff George throwing to Williams, Bellamy, and Wax (with Howard Griffith in the backfield) while Howard, Holocek, Hardy, and Rice terrorize their opponents?  At first glance, I’m not sure how that team gets beat.

But 01/11 is no slouch.  Kittner to Lloyd, Lewis, Moorehead, and Young (with Harvey and Davis and Harris in the backfield) while Big Whit and company play defense?  Both of these teams could’ve contended for national titles.

So we have to get specific with the matchups.  How would the 1994 defense match up with the 2001 offense?  Well, for starters, they wouldn’t be able to run the ball against Howard and Hardy and Holocek, so it would be up to Kittner moving the offense through the air.  Which puts pressure on two things: Can Simeon get around Tony Pashos and get to Kittner, and can the secondary of Ty Washington and Antoine Patton and Scott Turner and (other cornerback on the 1994 team escapes me) stop the 4-headed monster at receiver?

In this matchup, I’m giving the edge to the 1994 defense.  The Grenade, Turner, Patton, and ROBERT CRUMPTON (knew I’d remember) were an underrated secondary in Illini history.  And guys like Mikki Johnson (defensive tackle) were underrated, too.  I think that defense would give Lloyd and Young fits, and if they couldn’t run the ball with Harvey and they couldn’t hit the swing pass to Davis because Hardy was all over it, the offense would have a tough time getting the passing game on track against that secondary.  Advantage 1994.

The flipside is an interesting matchup as well.  Watching film of Jeff George’s arm 20 years later is still just as ridiculous.  I don’t care what foot he’s standing on or if he’s turned 90 degrees from his target – the throw came out with some zip.  Give him time, and George could pick apart any defense (including top-5 USC in the final few minutes).  And that line could give him time.  Tim Simpson, Brad Hopkins, Curtis Lovelace – they were difficult to stop when George was on.

But I feel like Vic would have been able to dial something up to stop them.  Get Whit and BadNewsBrown making a mess of the offensive backfield, and get Hawthorne/Wilson/Green to pester Williams and Bellamy, and I think this defense could slow them down.  You had to be able to get to George to stop the 1989 offense, and this defense got to the quarterback possibly better than any Illini team since 1994.  So they would have made it very difficult on George.  All in all, I think this one is much closer than the other one.  2011 D could make some stops and maybe shut down Griffith, but 1989 O would still be able to move the ball.

Given that, 89/94 wins.  Mostly because 89 could move the ball on 11 a little bit better than 01 could move the ball on 94. So I’ll go with this for the final score:

89O/94D: 27
01O/11D: 17

Which player did you enjoy being around the most at the bowl and why?
~Illinigrad

Jack Cornell is so much the obvious answer here that I’m going to have to give you two answers. In St. Louis, a local magazine used to have a category in their “Best Of” issue entitled “Best Local Newscaster Not Named Karen Foss” because everyone would always vote for Karen Foss. Well, I’ll have to have a “player you most enjoyed being around not named Jack Cornell” category.

Winner in that category: Donovonn Young. I didn’t get to interview him. In fact, I didn’t even think to ask. Coach Zook wouldn’t let you interview freshmen players, but it’s possible the Vic Koenning would have let me talk to Young had I asked.

But I’ll answer Young because he’s hilarious. From my view, Young is outgoing, engaging, smiling, and always up to something. His performance at St. Anthony’s was impressively awesome, and you can always find him laughing with his teammates. After the game, on the field, I saw him joking around with Jeff Brohm’s son and talking to anyone and everyone.

I think he can be a great ambassador to the program the next three years.  And a pretty great running back.

Who is the kicker next year? Immekus?
~Winston

I got to meet the Immekus family in San Francisco, and they were great, so I’m automatically 19% more partial to Nick winning the job. (As an aside, after I talked to them, I realized that I used to make “Fat Kicker II” jokes about Immekus – he was an offensive lineman in high school, and I thought he might be Chris Richardson 2.0. But he’s lost some weight since then, and while he’s not as tiny as a Derek Dimke, he’s certainly not as big as Richardson. So please, Immekus family, when you see “fat kicker” jokes, it’s a term of endearment.)

The kicker race is probably a 5 horse race. Immekus (will be a redshirt sophomore), Taylor Zalewski (will be a redshirt freshman), Baron Van Miegham (redshirt freshman, and his name is Brennan and not Baron, but Baron sounds cooler), Patrick Dunn (who will be a… junior, I think?), and true freshman scholarship kicker Ryan Frain.

Who do I think wins the job? Well, in Rantoul, they could only bring 105 players (only 20 walkons allowed), so they only brought 2 punters and 2 placekickers to camp. And the placekickers they brought were Dimke and Taylor Zalewski. So I’d say that has to give Zalewski a leg up here (horrible pun actually intended).

But this is a brand new coaching staff, so who knows what happens. I’ll guess one kicker is used for kickoffs and another used for placekicking. Kickoffs: Immekus. Placekicker: Zalewski.

(More mailbaggery tomorrow)

This is the retrospective post.

The last 5 days have been just about as much fun as one person can have.  I always feel guilty saying something like that, mostly because my wife and kids were not with me.  All “as much fun as I could have” things should include your wife and kids, right?  Well, yes and no.  I’m certainly not going to put the Kraft Fight Hunger With Sour Patch Kids Bowl in front of, say, my wedding.  I’m speaking on a different plane here.

You know how you have those awful days where nothing seems to go right and you’re left to wonder what a good day feels like?  And then you have what you consider to be a good day, but you’re really kind of faking it because it’s not really a good day?  And then a REAL good day comes along and smacks you in the face and you wonder how life can be so amazing?  That was yesterday for me. Yes, because of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Because I have a real job and I don’t have any advertisements on this site, I get a strange reaction from a lot of people.  Especially the press (or at least that’s how I observe it).  Most people don’t really understand why I do this.  45 people in a press box, 44 of them writing because it’s their job (or because they work for their college newspaper and they hope it’s their job some day), and one dude, sitting off to the side, quietly pumping his fist.

There was a friend of mine in college who got his Aeronautical Engineering degree but went into stand-up comedy (no, not THAT guy).  When you asked him why he paid all of that money for an education just to go into standup comedy, he would say “so that when people use the whole ‘what are you, a rocket scientist?’ thing on me, I could say ‘yes’”.  That’s kind of how I view this. When people ask the standard “yeah, but would you do it even if you didn’t make a dime at it?” question, I can say yes.

So when a beat writer sees me interviewing a player and has this “wait, you’re taking vacation days from your job just to do this for fun?” reaction, I enjoy saying yes.  I simply do this because it’s incredibly fun.  If given the option of rock climbing or playing craps or fly fishing or golfing or traveling across the country to sit in the press box and “report” on a bowl game, I’m taking the last one 10 times out of 10.  If we go to 100, I might golf the 99th time, but KFHBing gets the rest.

This is what I love to do.  So when you combine doing something you love + the interim coach insisting you get as much access as possible because his wife loves your blog + the powerful display of affection from these players at St. Anthony’s + a second consecutive bowl win, well, not many days will top it.

I wish everyone could have hung around those players on the field afterwards.  The weight of a 6 game losing streak lifting from 105 players simultaneously is a great thing to watch.  Players lifting coaches kids in the air.  A near brawl just to touch the trophy.  Mocking (in a fun way) Nate and Terry when they were on stage getting their awards.  I say it all the time, but these guys work so incredibly hard (year round) just to entertain us with a bowl win.  They deserve every ounce of celebration they experienced.

After the game, basking in the glow of all of that, I sent a text to my wife as I was leaving the stadium.  Something like “not sure what I’m gonna do now”.  Her response: “Walk the streets of San Francisco”.  Great idea.  So for an hour, that’s what I did.  I made my way to Market Street and just walked around.  The drummer in front of The Gap was amazing.  I almost bought a necklace for my wife, but I didn’t have enough cash on me.  The crowds were great – guy in a tux, then 2 college kids with dreads carrying sleeping bags, then a group of Illini tourists, then 3 women dressed to the nines for their NYE party. If you picture this as the final scene of a movie, I was the guy with the smile, walking slowly, as life bustled around me.

And as a nod to Coach Beckman and the future of Illinois football, I specifically found a place for dinner where I could get Steaks And Cakes.  Best dinner I ever had.