Illinois Fighting Illini Football

It's not really fair to say that former Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus' 2011 season "came out of nowhere." It was the product of years and years of hard work on and off the field, and he wouldn't have gotten much attention from the Illini coaches if they didn't think he was capable of putting together a giant year.

That all said, if you're looking for on-field indicators that Mercilus was due for an All-American season, well, there wasn't much that separated Mercilus from dozens of other players. He managed just two starts in all of 2010, registering 16 tackles and three tackles for a loss.

He wasn't a particularly highly rated recruit—a couple other Big Ten offers but nothing big—and he wasn't projected onto any preseason 2011 All-Big Ten lists, not even Phil Steele's four-deep projections.

What ensued was pretty convincingly the best season for a defensive end in all of college football in 2011. Mercilus led all defensive linemen in tackles for loss (22.5), tackles for loss yardage (130 yards), sacks (16), sack yardage (105 yards) and forced fumbles (nine, including seven in Big Ten play). He earned the Hendricks Award for the nation's top defensive end and was named a consensus First Team All-American.

Mercilus was an absolute terror at the collegiate level, but he's going to have to find a role to thrive in as a pro, and at 6'3" and 261 pounds, that might take a little work.

He's been a defensive end in college the entire time, but he doesn't have the pure speed you'd want from an elite rush end. He also doesn't have the bulk to stand up a decent NFL-level offensive tackle on 3rd-and-short on any type of a regular basis, so playing three downs a series with one hand down seems like a bit of a fantasy in and of itself.

Fortunately, Mercilus looks like a quality fit as a rush OLB in the mold of a James Harrison in a 3-4 defense, provided that he works on zone responsibilities so he can't be schemed out of a play in one fell swoop (also, provided that he doesn't injure as many people around him as humanly possible, à la Harrison).

Make no mistake: Mercilus is a first-round-caliber prospect. He's strong enough to get a push on high-level tackles on the pass rush, and his hand-fighting and footwork allow him to disengage blocks and change angles to pursue the quarterback with frightening efficiency.

That's huge, because it can be the difference between a sack and a big play, either on a scramble or a deep pass. How many times, for example, did teams see their defensive end come flailing out of control at Tim Tebow, only to miss and break contain? That would be significantly less of a concern with Mercilus than your average defensive end, and that's why he would be a valuable addition to any 3-4 defensive front.

Ian Thomas, Linebacker, University of Illinois

Ian Thomas is a very physical, versatile linebacker coming out of the University of Illinois.  Thomas is a physical force who played in the middle of the Fighting Illini defense where he was tasked to take on bigger offensive linemen in the Big Ten.  Thomas is a fighter and a person that is not going to shrink from a challenge.

Thomas earned All-Big Ten honorable mention for the 2011 season as voted on by conference coaches.  He is a productive player as evidenced by the numbers, but Thomas needed to make an impression during his pro day, which took place on March 6^th in Champaign.  To say that he made an impression is an understatement, as he crushed his workout.

Here are his numbers from his pro day, and where they would rank with the linebackers that participated in the combine in Indianapolis in late February.

• ·         32 repetitions at 225 lbs. on the bench press, tying him for 1^st among LBs.
• ·         37.5” vertical jump, tying him for 4^th among LBs.
• ·         9’7” broad jump, tying him for 18^th among LBs.
• ·         4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash, tying him for 15^th among LBs.
• ·         Thomas measured in at 6’1/2” tall and 232 lbs.

I sat down with Thomas the day after his pro day workout to discuss how he fared.  We talked about a variety of things, from his time at Illinois, to his preparation for his pro day workout.  I asked him what he prepared on most for his workout and he told me, “Really, we were just focusing on the actual drills that we were going to be doing.  You know just getting familiar with it, doing it over and over again just so it would kind of be second nature.”

He then gave a lot of credit to his trainer, Harrison Bernstein of Satori Sports.  “I worked hard with my trainer Harrison Bernstein, he’s a good guy and he’s a good trainer and he prepared me well.”  I asked him what he thought about the drills he had to do during his pro day workout and he said “I think the most important thing we did yesterday was the actual position drills.  That really shows you a little bit about what kind of football player you have.”

I asked him what he thought was the best way to measure what kind of player a guy will be. He told me: “For me, it’s all about when you strap the pads on, you go out there and that’s when it gets real.”  There was an intensity about the way he spoke and it was interesting to talk to him.

I asked him about what he thought he could bring to an NFL team:  “My aggressiveness, I just feel like I am real aggressive.  I like to get to the ball, I like to hit.  I like to stay around the ball.”  He told me that he has been compared to D’Qwell Jackson from a “tackling machine” perspective and that he loved the way Jackson played.  He said, “Hopefully I can improve my game and be more like him as I get some more experience.”

He talked about the pride he felt for being a member of an Illinois football team that won two bowl games in consecutive years.  Thomas has played inside, weak-side and strong-side linebacker at Illinois.  I asked him what the thought about being able to show his versatility on tape to NFL teams:  “Yeah, I definitely think it’s a positive for me that a team sees that you can play at a lot of different spots.  Versatility is big thing, so I’m using that as an advantage." 

Finally, I asked him what he would tell the fans of an NFL team that drafts him.  He said “I feel like I’ll have a great spark on the team, when they see me out there they will definitely recognize who I am from my emotion and how I’m going to run around and have fun.  I’m just going to make it fun to watch.”

Thomas is a player to watch, especially with the dazzling numbers he put up at his workout.  He has the production on tape to show NFL teams, and the pedigree of playing in a physical conference like the Big Ten.  Now, he can point to the numbers he put up at his pro day and tell teams that he belongs.

Scott Bischoff is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials.

For the Illinois Fighting Illini, this past recruiting season did not have too many bright spots. And unfortunately for the Orange and Blue, there is more bad news on the horizon. 

Joey Warburg, one of their "on-the-fence recruits," decided to take his talents to Purdue instead of Illinois, despite giving a firm verbal to the Illini.

But there is still another player whose status is up in the air, and the outcome has the makings of another disappointment for Illini Nation.

Tyler Faerber, a 6'4'', 200-pound receiver from Shawnee Mission, Kansas had previously given a verbal to Illinois but has completely fallen off the radar since National Signing Day.

He never faxed in his signed letter of intent to the Illinois coaching staff, and while head coach Tim Beckman reportedly has had contact with him, the media have heard nothing from the talented receiver even after persistently trying to reach him.

What continues to contribute to the oddness of his situation is that he committed to Illini last March and has not wavered at all in the commitment since.

One rumor said that he recently had contact with the University of Montana Grizzlies, but that has not been confirmed or denied by any other media outlets.

Although many recruiting databases have Faerber ranked as a 2- to 3-star prospect, his game tape shows that he could be a dynamic playmaker for the Illini.

Some of his highlights can be seen here.

I am following this situation closely and will be sure to update this post as more news breaks.  

The letter of intents are in and the first solid look at the University of Illinois' 2012 football recruiting class is finally available.  

Player Name

Ryan Frain, K

Taylor Barton, S         

Jevaris Little, CB         

Mason Monheim, LB   

Joe Spencer, OL          

Mike Svetina, LB         

Devin Church, RB        

T.J. Neal, LB               

Dami Ayoola, RB         

B.J. Bello, S               

Justin Hardee, DB        

V'Angelo Bentley, DB   

LaKeith Walls, RB        

J.J. Robertson, WR      

Teko Powell, DT         

Robbie Bain, OL         

Vontrell Williams, DT    

*TaJarvis Fuller, DB     

*Daniel Rhodes, TE      

*Denotes players that have already enrolled at the University and are currently taking classes in Champaign.

One player ( Elliot Faerber) has given a verbal commitment to Illinois, but has yet to fax in his official letter of intent.  

According to ESPN this class consists of seven three-star athletes, nine two-star athletes, and three unranked players. The general consensus among recruiting databases are that this class is ranked between 10th and 12th in the Big Ten.

One of the bright spots of this class is its regional diversity. Players reign from across the country (Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois). So Illini fans should expect pipelines to begin to emerge from some of these locations in the near future.

This class lacks the superstar "wow factor" players that have called Illinois their home during Ron Zook's recent tenure at the school, but consider the difficulties this program has faced in the past year.

From the turnover of a completely new coaching staff, to a six game loosing streak to close out the season, stability has been one thing Illinois lacked going into National Signing Day.

The fact that this team was able to secure 19 players is quite a testament of Beckman's ability to recruit and build relationships with these fine student athletes. If Beckman can build upon the success he had in such a short period of time, Illini fans should not be surprised to see next year's class as ranked in the top half of the conference. 

Tune back in tomorrow to see in-depth analysis of each individual player and who might be gaining significant playing time come September.

The Illinois Fighting Illini have managed to snag two recruits who were previously committed to MAC schools earlier this week.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Lincoln-Way West linebacker BJ Bello will not be joining the Western Michigan football program and will instead be enrolling at the University of Illinois. 

Bello said "Illinois offers me a chance to play in the Big Ten, along with getting a top-notch education." So it was obvious that the lure of a BCS conference school was what tipped the scale in his recruitment. 

The 6'2'', 205 pound linebacker is ranked as a two star recruit by Rivals.com and unranked in ESPN's recruiting database.

Regardless of his national rating, Illinois head coach Tim Beckman is committed to recruiting players who fit the mentality and style of football he is trying to instill in Champaign, and Bello seems to fit that mold. 

You can see his recruiting highlight tape here.

The second player to de-commit from his previous school and give a verbal agreement to Beckman was a 6'2'' linebacker from Cleveland, Ohio named Mike Svetina.

Svetina is a consensus two star recruit according to Scout.com and ESPN, but a three star recruit according to Rivals.com

Svetina helped lead St. Ignatius High School to a state championship in 2011, tallying 111 tackles, four sacks and three interceptions. It is also worth noting that he was also named the Cleveland Plain-Dealer Defensive Player of the Year and Ohio Division-I Co-Defensive Player of the Year. 

Beckman was known to be recruiting both of these players to come play for him when he was still the coach at Toledo. 

Don't be surprised if there are more former MAC players who follow in these two young men's paths and join the Orange and Blue in the coming days. 

The Illini now have 18 verbal commitments.

For the past week, I have been getting multiple emails asking me who is officially part of the new Illinois football coaching staff. To help answer those questions, I have put together a quick list of new head coach Tim Beckman's current staff, as well as links to their personal biographies:

Head Coach:  *Tim Beckman

Co-offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks coach:  Chris Beatty 

Co-offensive Coordinator/Receivers coach:  Billy Gonzales

Offensive Line Coach:  Luke Butkus

Defensive Line Coach:  Keith Gilmore

Recruiting Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach:  Alex Golesh 

Running Backs Coach/Special Teams Coordinator: Tim Salem

Secondary Coach:  *Steve Clinkscale 

Inside Linebackers Coach: TBD

Outside Linebackers Coach: TBD

Strength and Conditioning Coach: TBD 

To the eye of the average fan, this staff seems to have some bright spots with real potential, but I just don’t see the “big league” experience necessary to produce in the Big Ten. 

Many of them are following Beckman from Toledo to Illinois, and that worries me. 

The MAC has been known for poor defense, high-scoring games and middle of the road talent in its players… a far cry from today’s Big Ten. 

Illini Nation will need these coaches to adapt to life in the Big Ten quickly, or Illinois will take a serious step back in the coming years.

It is also worrisome that neither of the co-offensive coordinators has experience calling plays full time. One of them will need to take the reins and put his own personal stamp on the Illini offense, or it will struggle with identity in 2012. 

There are highlights in this staff, though.

Beckman is a true head coach, not some glorified assistant or coordinator, which is something the Illini have lacked of late. 

Luke Butkus, former Illini player and the nephew of Illini great Dick Butkus, is a high energy, detail-oriented coach who should do well developing and improving the O-line. 

The lone remaining member of Ron Zook’s staff, Keith Gilmore, has done a great job developing talent on the defensive line (think Corey Leguit, Clay Nurse and Whitney Mercilus) and he should continue to do so as a part of this new staff. 

One of the brightest spots in this staff is its diversity. There are coaches from West Virginia, Ohio, Florida and Kentucky. This should allow Illinois to open up some new recruiting pipelines in areas that have not been tapped yet (namely the high-talent areas in Ohio and SEC country).

In fact, Chris Beatty has already caused one recruit to reopen his recruitment (with Illinois as a new suitor) due to Beatty's shift from Vandy to Illinois. 

So for Illini fans out there, be patient and see what this staff can do with the talented roster it has. There is potential here, it will just be a matter of how quickly the coaches can transition to the Big Ten culture and how quickly the current players will buy into these new coaching philosophies. 

*Beckman has not yet named a defensive coordinator. He has alluded to personally calling the defensive plays, but he will still hire a coach to hold the title of DC.  

*Steve Clinkscale's position has not been officially revealed, but he worked as the secondary coach for Beckman at Toledo, so he will probably be doing to the same work in Champaign. 

Preston Brown is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand

The vacant offensive coordinator spot at the University of Illinois has officially been filled.

Billy Gonzales, former receivers coach and passing coordinator for the LSU Tigers, has agreed to be the offensive play caller for Illinois next season.

But the verdict is still out on Gonzales, as Illinois will be his first crack at a full offensive coordinator gig.

Gonzales and new Illini head coach Tim Beckman both served under Urban Meyer at Bowling Green, so he obviously has had the opportunity to learn from one of the best coaches in the game. Also, those ties from Beckman's past probably had a lot to do with the hire after he was unable to bring his OC at Toledo, Matt Campbell, to Champaign.

Members of Illini nation are sure to be wondering who Billy Gonzales is and what he has done on the collegiate level.

Illinois will be his seventh coaching stop, after previous stints at MacMurry (Ill), Kent State, Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and LSU.

He has coached everything from running backs, to special teams and receivers, and was also the recruiting coordinator at Bowling Green and Florida.

Gonzales played his college ball at Colorado State, graduating in 1994.

He has a wife, Julie, and two children, Cole and Caylynn.

Highlights of his coaching career revolve around the huge games he has coached in.

He coached in seven straight bowl games, two being BCS National Championships as a member of the Gators' coaching staff in '07 and '09 and was obviously involved in this year's championship between LSU and Alabama.

It is also worth noting that seven of his former receivers have gone on to play on Sundays in the NFL.

So enough of his past, the real question that fans of the Orange and Blue have is this: Will he be able to produce as the OC for Illinois?

Unfortunately, there is something about his resume that just doesn't sit right with me.

None of the accolades that his teams have achieved can be attributed to him in particular. One could even make the argument that the players he sent to the pros were more a result of the talent that his big-name schools brought in than his ability to "coach them up."

He has been in the coaching ranks ever since he graduated college in '94, but he has never been the top dog of the offense like he will be at Illinois.

I am also struggling to see what about his offense will be dynamic or unique as he doesn't have any signature schemes or formations for which he is known.

It is also worth noting that LSU was 106th in the FBS in passing this past year. That ranking obviously cannot be contributed solely to Gonzales, but it doesn't do much to support the idea the he can produce as a full time coordinator. 

I, along with the rest of Illini Nations, will be carefully watching what Gonzales does this spring and in Rantoul at the Illini training camp this summer.

He should be able to bring in some strong SEC connections with recruiting, so don't be suprised if you start to see players from Florida, Georgia and Alabama in Illini uniforms in the next couple years. 

I urge Illinois fans out there to keep an open mind with this new coach. Give him your full support and make him feel welcome in the program as we have done with Beckman.

Let's see what he can do before we start judging his coaching ability too strongly. He has the pieces in place to succeed offensively in Champaign, and if he can use the experience he has along with the influences from the high profile coaches of his past, he should be able to help Beckman put this program back on the map.

It is never too early to start looking at next season. With that thought in mind, I have broken down each game the Illini will be playing in next season and derived two potential outcomes for the season (one best case, one worst case).

The typical, consistent football program would not have too much parody between its best case and worst case outcomes. Maybe their regular season schedule deviates by three wins in a best/worst case scenario, but Illinois is not a typical football program. 

There are so many unanswered questions with this team heading into the offseason.

How will Tim Beckman do in a BCS automatic qualifying conference like the Big Ten?

How will the players take Beckman's coaching?

How long will it take to rid the program of Ron Zook's legacy?

Because of all of these questions, this team could go anywhere from a 4-8 disappointment to a dark-horse contender in the Big Ten.

For reference, here is Illinois' 2012 football schedule:

9/01 Western Michigan

9/08 @Arizona State

9/15 Charleston Southern

9/22 Louisiana Tech

9/29 Penn State

10/06 @Wisconsin

10/13 @Michigan

10/27 Indiana

11/03 @Ohio State

11/10 Minnesota

11/17 Purdue

11/24 @Northwestern

And without any further adieu, here is my best and worst case outcomes from next season:

Best Case: 9-3, 5-3 in the Big Ten 

Illinois easily makes it through its non conference season 4-0. The players embrace what Tim Beckman is saying and have a new-found energy and confidence. Linebacker Jonathan Brown establishes himself as one of the best linebackers in the league and Nathan Scheelhaase takes the next step as a passer. 

Sophomore running back Donovan Young shows why he is worthy to wear the No. 5 jersey for Illinois. He averages about 100 yards a game in the non-conference season and is one of the bright spots of the offense.

Arizona St would be the only team with a real chance to knock off the Illini, but Arizona State is losing their QB and star linebacker and Illinois manages to handle a Sun Devil team searching for identity.

Illinois' first five games of the conference season are laced with difficulty.

If Illinois can show the mental toughness needed to compete, their talent will carry them to wins against PSU and Indiana, and then an upset of either Wisconsin, OSU or Michigan to go into the Minnesota game 7-2 with a Top 25 ranking.

Michael Buchanan pulls a "Whitney Mercilus" and leads the Big Ten in sacks from the defensive end position. He constantly dominates and gains national recognition for his ability to rush the passer.

I would imagine that the team starts hitting its stride and wins versus mediocre Minnesota and Purdue teams but stumbles against a Northwestern team that always seems to play Illinois tough, especially on its home turf.

The Illini finish the season 9-3, barely missing out on a Big Ten championship game birth.

Worst Case: 4-8, 2-6 in the Big Ten

If this season is going to get ugly, it will show from the start.

Illinois struggles with a new coaching staff and schemes and gets beat right out of the blocks by a tough Western Michigan team that almost beat the Orange and Blue in 2011. Then Illinois struggles with the long trip out to Arizona St. and loses there to start off 0-2.

Tim Beckman cannot decide between Riley O'Toole and Nathan Scheelhaase as a starting quarterback. As a result, the offense looks lost and confused and lacking leadership. A young running back and receiving core have no one to help lighten the pressure and minimal points are scored. 

Illinois would then barely win their next two games as a result of talent alone.

Although their record going into the Big Ten season is 2-2, they are playing like an 0-4 team.

Illinois then manages to lose its first three Big Ten games versus superior opponents on their home fields.

The defensive players struggle to learn Beckman's defense and they give up over 30 points a game. Michael Buchanan, Terry Hawthorne and Jonathan Brown don't step up as leaders on the defensive side of the ball and it shows. 

Then Illinois then gets a rare win at home versus an Indiana team that is also struggling mightily to improve the Illini's record to 3-5. The Illini still have a chance to get a bowl, but it is an uphill battle as they must win three of their next four games.

Illinois loses to Ohio St. in a blowout loss in the Horseshoe. Lacking any confidence, I would imagine that Illinois finishes out the season on 1-2 run and a regular season record of 4-8.

Tim Beckman stands by his formula saying that it will take time to improve this team, but Illini nation is skeptical of whether he has what it takes to succeed in the Big Ten.  

The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl was played this Saturday on a beautiful sun-drenched day at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The game pitted UCLA, who came into the game at 6-7, against Illinois, who was 6-6.

The three biggest highlights on the day had nothing to do with the actual contest.  First was the gorgeous weather. It truly was a picture postcard day, amazing for Dec. 31.

Second were the pregame festivities with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott being honored and involved in the coin toss. These three former 49er greats received the largest ovation of the day when they were announced.

Finally, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl's mission of fighting hunger and donating meals to the hungry was achieved.

The Executive Director of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Gary Cavalli, alerted me to the fact that three meals were being donated to the needy for every ticket sold. With an attendance mark of 29,878, that meant nearly 90,000 meals were donated from this game alone.

A big thank you and congratulations are in order for Kraft Foods, Cavalli and his staff for organizing and putting on such a tremendous event. The real winners are the charities who receive these meal donations to feed the hungry.

Now, more about the game itself. One of the most interesting stories was the fact that both teams were coached by interim head coaches, as UCLA fired Rick Neuheisel and Illinois ousted Ron Zook only weeks earlier.

Mike Johnson led UCLA, while new head coach Jim Mora watched and undoubtedly realized he has a lot of work to do.

Illinois was led by interim coach Vic Koenning, as Tim Beckman looked on. The former Toledo head coach, Beckman, will take over the Illinois program. He had to be pleased to see the Fighting Illini break a six-game losing streak with a 20-14 win.

The two teams both showed why they are middle of the pack squads. The offenses looked rusty as the first half was dominated by several dropped balls and others that should have been caught.

UCLA had two great chances on their first drive as quarterback Kevin Prince made two fine deep throws from around mid-field. Both of Prince's passes were on the money, but were not caught. One, thrown to Nelson Rosario would have been a touchdown, but Rosario was unable to hang on.

On UCLA's second drive, another pass was not caught which would have resulted in a key first down.  Prince made several good throws in the first half which would have given UCLA a much bigger lead, had the Bruin receivers made the catches they should have.

Illinois was not immune to the stone-handed approach. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase had his team driving, but threw a pass right on the numbers to tight end Jon Davis. Davis had the ball bounce off his chest straight up into the air for an easy UCLA interception.

The only touchdown of the first half was scored by UCLA when Prince made a good throw into the end zone to Taylor Emvree who made a nice over the shoulder catch for a 16-yard touchdown.

The halftime score was 7-3 in favor of UCLA, as neither team was able to do much offensively.

UCLA continued to struggle, as Joseph Fauria missed a 17-yard pass that would have been a touchdown, early in the third quarter.

One thing held true to form and that was the strength of the Illinois defense. The Fighting Illini held UCLA to only 18 yards rushing and 219 total yards. However, the entire game would have been different and the UCLA yardage figures much higher had they not missed so many passes.

The Illinois defense was responsible for their first touchdown late in the third quarter. Prince floated a pass on a long out pattern which was intercepted by Terry Hawthorne, who easily scampered 39 yards for the score. Hawthorne was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player as his touchdown gave Illinois a 10-7 lead.

The offensive play of the day for Illinois came when Scheelhaase faced a third and nine at their own 40-yard line. He found receiver A.J. Jenkins on a slant, who split the seam of the defense and outraced the UCLA secondary for a 60-yard touchdown. This gave Illinois a 20-7 lead, which in effect iced the game for the Fighting Illini.

Scheelhaase impressed me more as a runner, as he was easily the leading rusher on the day. He carried the ball 22 times and had a game-high 110 yards. Scheelhaase was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the game.

UCLA did convert their final drive of the day into seven points as they marched 84 yards late in the fourth quarter. The Illinois defense was playing soft, which allowed Prince to complete short to medium range passes.

Prince found Rosario for a 38 yard touchdown with 29 seconds left to play. This made the score 20-14.

UCLA tried an onside kick, but it was recovered by Illinois, which locked up the victory. Illinois finishes their season at 7-6, while UCLA ends up 6-8.

Although the Fighting Illini defeated UCLA, I think we can all agree that the real winners are the thousands of people who will benefit from the meals donated by virtue of this game.

For those of you who wish to donate to this worthy cause, you can do so from the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl website.  http://www.kraftbowl.org/