Illinois Fighting Illini Football

Throughout the draft season, there is much discussion over “winners” and “losers” throughout the process. While that’s generally overblown and not indicative of how NFL scouting departments function, there can at times be prospects who surprisingly rise in the minds of evaluators after a portion of the draft process.

Illinois' defensive lineman Jihad Ward certainly maximized his 2016 Senior Bowl opportunity, impressing physically at his weigh-in and throughout the week of practice. Entering the week with zero buzz, Ward left Mobile, Alabama, forcing scouts to re-evaluate his game film and see if his flashes at the Senior Bowl could be more than just flashes at the NFL level.

Upon reassessing Ward after his Senior Bowl impression, the position-versatile defensive lineman showcased plus-interior strength coupled with explosiveness on the perimeter to quietly emerge as one of the best top-100 upside talents in the 2016 NFL draft. And his rise may not be done yet.

A starting receiver and defensive end in high school, Ward went the junior college route before working his way to the FBS. He left the JUCO level as the sixth-best college prospect in the country, opting to sign with Illinois. Over his two-year career at Illinois, Ward never made an All-Big Ten team and finished with just 4.5 career sacks.

But Ward was destined to be a better professional than college player, offering Illinois' defensive line versatility it couldn’t maximize, core strength it didn’t entirely exploit and explosiveness off the edge it couldn’t develop. 

Despite a less-than-stellar college career, Ward’s Senior Bowl proved his flashes could be more than just that, and his potential was still remarkably untapped. 

Position Versatility: Tackle and End

Measuring in at the Senior Bowl at 6’5", 296 pounds with an 81 3/8" wingspan, Ward’s body type fits exactly what NFL teams covet for a developing defensive lineman. Looking the part of an NFL 5-technique, Ward’s experience in college at both defensive tackle and end aids in his transition to the pro level.

As a pass-rusher, Ward is both able to extend and drive on the interior against guards and inside-leveraged tackles, as well as bend around the perimeter when playing outside. That versatility both encourages teams about his NFL transition as well as highlights his still-untapped potential to do either on a consistent basis. 

On the interior, Ward (No. 17) extends in isolation with great initial and consistent push, transitioning his hand positioning at the start into a persistent pushback thanks to a powerful lower half and flexibility to bend at the knees and keep his power. Notice in the play below how Ward maintains leverage throughout his rush, yet his decision to stay linear forces the quarterback to remain in the pocket since Ward can adjust to either side of himself to finish the sack.

And when playing end, where Ward saw most of his college sacks, he displays the ability to sink, extend and bend around to attack the quarterback. While the Penn State left tackle was among the worst in the Big Ten last year, notice how quickly Ward attacks off the edge, adjusts his lower half as he bends and maintains speed in his quarterback pursuit.

The flip-side concern for Ward’s versatility, however, is his relative inexperience and technique refinement at either position. On the inside, Ward is erased by double-teams or trap blocks too easily to be reliable on run downs early in his career. And on the perimeter, outside of “running the arc” on the edge, Ward doesn’t offer much in terms of developed initial or counter-rushes.
 

Run Defense: Interior Strength

Despite possessing a “leggy” body type, Ward offers a sudden ability to sink low, generate force and maintain balance through his upper-half explosiveness on the interior. With his NFL future likely requiring at least part-time work inside the tackle box, Ward’s initial leverage win coupled with his wingspan will need to continue to win him battles on the inside.

Ward struggled with double-teams at times in college, exposing too much of his midsection and allowing combo blocks to force him off the initial holding point. But when he had the opportunity to work one-on-one on the inside, especially against zone-blocking schemes, Ward highlighted his leverage strengths. 

As in the play below, Ward repeatedly was able to hold his ground and keep his blocker at bay with his inside shoulder. He splits a subtle double-block and maintains vision on the ball-carrier, using his plus-wingspan to finish the tackle despite the run working away from his initial position. It’s flashes like this that, once he’s able to correct his combo-block woes, can allow him to emerge as a high-quality interior run defender. 

Pass Rush: Explosiveness on the Perimeter

As highlighted earlier, Ward is able to run the arc on left tackles with remarkable bend and quickness for a 6’5", nearly 300-pound defensive lineman. But for Ward’s future as a pass-rusher, his explosiveness will be more indicative of his production than his ability around the edge.

While he didn’t get the sack, his pursuit on the play below highlights his explosive potential when his motor is in full gear on the edge. His first two steps get him immediate and balanced penetration in pursuit of Christian Hackenberg. It requires three blockers to slow down his pursuit, and even then his length nearly allows him to reach through blockers to finish the sack.

One of the concerns that began to show through Ward’s film evaluation was a bit of an inconsistent motor throughout the game. As a pass-rusher, Ward seemed to labor a bit and take non-third-down passing downs off. And in the run game, Ward’s tendency to be erased by double-teams was partially due to a lack of effort in keeping his pad level low and working through blocks.

Underappreciated at Illinois, Ward’s Senior Bowl opened plenty of eyes for evaluators. His college film flashes first-round upside but highlights his concerns and staunch need for development.

But Ward’s rise from forgotten at Illinois to showing flashes in Mobile isn’t a finished story yet. The ideally-built, highly-athletic defensive lineman should certainly impress at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine. And more importantly, as NFL teams bring him in for private workouts in March and April, his natural position across multiple schemes can finally be realized by individual teams. 

His sudden rise in the draft process has his value and intrigue at an all-time high, but NFL teams aren’t quite sure how they’ll use him yet. As the 2016 draft process continues and they begin to peg Ward’s position in their specific scheme, don’t be surprised if Ward begins to receive top-50 overall talk among evaluators.

The University of Illinois will continue its long-running partnership with Nike, as the school signed a 10-year extension with the athletic giant on Tuesday.

According to an official press release, the Fighting Illini and Nike have worked together for the past 20 years, and their new deal ensures 21 varsity sports teams will be decked out in Nike apparel through the 2025-26 academic year.

Per the release, Illinois interim director of athletics Paul Kowalczyk believes the new contract is a significant one for the university in terms of maintaining its status as one of the top colleges in the nation when it comes to athletics:

We are extremely pleased to extend our outstanding relationship and partnership with Nike. Their commitment to us reinforces the fact that we have one of the strongest brands in college sports as this agreement has a value among the Top 20 in all of collegiate athletics. We will continue to work together to equip our student-athletes with the most exciting, cutting-edge apparel and equipment, while providing our fans a myriad of ways to display their Fighting Illini pride.

While there is no question that remaining attached to the Nike brand is a coup for Illinois due to the cachet that comes with it, that alone won't be enough to push the school's top sports teams back into the elite ranks.

Illinois football hasn't enjoyed a winning season since 2011, and it hasn't won more than seven games since 2007.

The men's basketball team, on the other hand, hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 2012-13, and its last foray past the third round came back in 2004-05 when the Fighting Illini made a run to the national championship game.

Being in the Big Ten and having the support of Nike are two factors that should give Illinois a leg up on much of the competition when it comes to recruiting and bringing in the best talent possible.

That hasn't manifested itself in recent years, but locking down Nike for the foreseeable future is an accomplishment that certainly won't hurt its cause.

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The University of Illinois removed the interim tag from Bill Cubit Saturday by signing him to a two-year deal that officially made him the head football coach of the Fighting Illini.

The school announced the decision in a press release and revealed that the 62-year-old former head coach at Western Michigan will earn $1.2 million per season.

According to the release, interim athletics director Paul Kowalczyk praised what Cubit has done since stepping in for Tim Beckman, who was fired prior to the season due to alleged mistreatment of players:

Bill has stepped in during an extremely difficult period and done an outstanding job in leading our football program since August. Our student-athletes have responded in a positive manner and we feel he is the best person at this time to be the head coach. We wanted to allow Bill to make decisions regarding the program as the head coach without the interim title, and lead the Fighting Illini into Saturday's game without speculation.

ESPN.com's Tom VanHaaren believes it is a positive move for Illinois in terms of establishing some level of familiarity moving forward:

Illinois announces a 2-year deal for head coach Bill Cubit. Brings consistency for recruiting. A lot of recruits have praised Cubit

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) November 28, 2015

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports isn't so sure, though:

I’ve seen some people say giving Bill Cubit a two-year extension would be “smart.” I’m yet to see anyone explain what would make it smart.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) November 26, 2015

The Fighting Illini are 5-6 this season, and they have a chance to become bowl-eligible if they can upset No. 17 Northwestern at home Saturday.

Cubit went 51-47 during his previous stint as a head coach at Western Michigan, and he led the Broncos to three bowl appearances.

He served as an offensive coordinator at Illinois in 2013 and 2014 before becoming interim head coach just prior to the 2015 season, and the Fighting Illini brass were impressed enough with his performance to keep him on board.

Cubit has done well under very difficult circumstances, but a two-year deal doesn't give him a great deal of security.

It appears as though he is working under a trial run, which means there will be a great deal of pressure on his shoulders to show marked improvement in 2016.

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Based on the wording—and more importantly, the timing—of Tim Beckman's firing Friday, it was clear that Illinois could no longer continue with him as its head coach.

With a mere week remaining until the Fighting Illini's season opener against Kent State, Illinois announced it had relieved Beckman of his duties citing "preliminary results of an external review into allegations involving the program." That review was the byproduct of claims of mistreatment from former Illini offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic.

Several ex-Illinois players backed up Cvijanovic's claims in a July report in the Chicago Tribune by Jared S. Hopkins and Shannon Ryan.

"The preliminary information external reviewers shared with me does not reflect our values or our commitment to the welfare of our student-athletes, and I’ve chosen to act accordingly," Illinois Director of Athletics Mike Thomas said in a statement. "During the review, we have asked people not to rush to judgment, but I now have enough information to make this decision in assessing the status and direction of the football program."

Make no mistake, Illinois' firing of Beckman is a move that comes better late than never. If the school felt so strongly that it opted to remove its head coach just seven days out from the start of the season, that's a pretty clear indication of the severity of the findings of its investigation.

The Fighting Illini have essentially sacrificed their 2015 season in favor of dealing with the mess that accompanies a head coach's firing on such short notice. But it's a mess that should have been avoided altogether.

Because while Illinois can now claim just cause in firing Beckman—the school says he won't receive the final $3.1 million remaining on the final two years of his contract—the reality is that his dismissal should have come much sooner.

While the details of the findings of the investigation still remain unclear—and unfinished—perhaps the most damning piece of evidence against Beckman's ability as a college football coach came at the end of the school's statement announcing his firing, when it listed the results of each of his three seasons in Champaign.

Over the course of his time in charge of the Illini, Beckman compiled a 12-25 record, including a disastrous 4-20 mark in Big Ten play. One could have argued he should've been fired after Illinois' 4-8 season in 2013, where the Illini lost seven of their final eight games, their lone win in that stretch being a 20-16 victory over lowly Purdue.

It may have even made sense to let him go after his debut season in 2012, a 2-10 campaign that offered plenty of signs of the rocky nature that would be omnipresent throughout his Illinois tenure.

After a third consecutive losing season in 2014, however, there seemed to be no reasons left for the Illini to enter Year 4 of the Beckman era, his lone saving grace being an appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl against Louisiana Tech, which Illinois would lose, 35-18.

But despite the dwindling attendance at Memorial Stadium and a recruiting resume that offered no better than a No. 47 nationally ranked class in four cycles, Illinois opted to stick with Beckman, seemingly based on a backdoor Big Ten finish that allowed it to meet he minimum total of wins for a bowl appearance.

That kept the Illini standing on the sideline for the hirings of hot head coaching candidates like Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi and Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman, who wound up as the head coaches at Pitt and Houston, respectively.

Instead of hiring such replacements, Illinois spent the offseason with a head coach on the hot seat and will enter the 2015 campaign under the direction of interim coach Bill Cubit, who went 51-47 as the head coach of Western Michigan from 2005 to 2012 before joining Beckman's staff as the offensive coordinator in 2013.

That's not to say Illinois won't wind up with a suitable long-term successor, as Western Michigan's P.J. Fleck and Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash are already names that come to mind as potential replacements. The Fighting Illini likely would have been looking for a new head coach next offseason anyway, considering Beckman's lack of an extension this offseason, and can now spend 2015 getting a head start on their search.

That head start, however, will come at least eight months too late.

On the one hand, Illinois should be commended for being willing to take this disaster head on, knowing the ripple effect that making this move at this time will create.

On the other hand, it's a disaster that should have never come to fruition in the first place.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.

One week before opening the 2015 season on September 4, Illinois has fired head football coach Tim Beckman. 

University of Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas announced Friday on the team's website that Beckman was being dismissed following an internal investigation into the well-being of student-athletes:

The preliminary information external reviewers shared with me does not reflect our values or our commitment to the welfare of our student-athletes, and I've chosen to act accordingly. During the review, we have asked people not to rush to judgment, but I now have enough information to make this decision in assessing the status and direction of the football program.

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press provided a statement from Beckham:

I am shocked and disappointed by the decision Mike Thomas and the University of Illinois made todayI firmly deny the implications in Mike's statements that I took any action that was not in the best interests of the health, safety and well-being of my players. The health and well-being of our SAs is of paramount importance. The University's actions ... are in violation of the procedures mandated under my employment agreement. I will vigorously defend both my reputation and my legal rights."

Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune reported Beckman will not receive the final $3.1 million left on the two remaining years of his contract or any buyout money.

Thomas said, per Jon Solomon of CBS Sports, that firing Beckman was his call. 

Thomas also announced that offensive coordinator Bill Cubit will take over as head coach on an interim basis. Cubit has been on Beckman's staff since 2013. 

"Everybody's got to rally together," Cubit said, per Solomon.

In May, per ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman, former Illinois offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic alleged in a series of Twitter posts that Beckman used and abused his position of power, urging his lineman to play through injuries and dismissing him after various injuries prevented him from playing football again. 

Peter Bailey-Wells of the Daily Illini spoke to former Illinois defensive back Nick North, who called Beckman "the worst coach I ever met." Former Illinois player Akeem Spence added to that when he tweeted "Illinois just got better!"

At that point, the National College Players Association requested Illinois conduct an investigation into the claims by Cvijanovic. 

Ryan added that Illinois' release "notes 90-plus people interviewed by the Franczek Radelet law firm and 200,000 documents have been reviewed so far."

"It's a large operation, and I think you have several layers," Thomas said, per Solomon, about not knowing about the allegations. "Everybody needs to be held accountable." 

"At this point in time, none of the other coaches have been implicated in the review," Thomas added, per Solomon.

Thomas also noted, per Solomon, that he's "confident in the program he's leading" when asked about his job security.

Beckman's firing Friday provides more credence to the allegations levied against him, with Thomas saying a preliminary briefing led to findings of efforts to deter injury reporting and convincing players to postpone treatment to play despite injuries. 

Illinois hired Beckman in 2012 after he spent three seasons as head coach at Toledo. He went 12-25 in three seasons with the program, making one bowl appearance in 2014. 

The Illini open play next Friday at home against Kent State. 

It's been two days since Simon Cvijanovic first took to Twitter to air his grievances about Illinois head coach Tim Beckman.

But thus far, it's hard to imagine the former Fighting Illini offensive lineman has received the response he wanted.

Embarking on a prolonged Twitter rant that has now entered its third day, Cvijanovic has lofted numerous accusations at his former head coach and the Illinois program, including claims of mistreatment both personally and medically. The four-year letter-winner has yet to respond to multiple requests for an interview from Bleacher Report but hasn't been shy when it comes to sharing the intentions of his tweets:

I still have a project due in the morning. But here is what I ultimately hope to see from all this...

— Simon Cvijanović (@SimonCvijanovic) May 11, 2015

1. Beckman's resignation as head coach of the University of Illinois. As he has created a hostile and abusive environment.

— Simon Cvijanović (@SimonCvijanovic) May 11, 2015

2. Increase in players will to speak out about the injustices done to them. Current or former. Anonymous or public.

— Simon Cvijanović (@SimonCvijanovic) May 11, 2015

3. A system of checks and balances where athletic programs and universities are held accountable for their mistakes.

— Simon Cvijanović (@SimonCvijanovic) May 11, 2015

And while the second and third goals of Cvijanovic appear noble on the surface, his primary objective is going to be difficult to accomplish without the support of his former teammates.

At least, it will if Cvijanovic's Twitter tirade continues to resemble that of a smear campaign without offering tangible proof of any of his lofty accusations. It'd be hard to imagine that the words of just one former player could affect the security of a head coach, particularly when Cvijanovic has repeatedly lobbed personal attacks at Beckman throughout his admitted "rampage."

That's the line of thinking Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas seems to be following as well, as he's taken note of Cvijanovic's serious accusations but continues to back his head coach. On a conference call with reporters, Thomas said he'll conduct an internal investigation into the former player's claims but has yet to find anything that corroborates Cvijanovic's story.

“He’s put the welfare of (Cvijanovic) above everything else,” Thomas said in the conference call. “The feedback I get from players and our players’ families is that our coaches genuinely care for them and treat them like their own children.”

Multiple Fighting Illini players and family members have backed up Thomas' sentiments. Like Cvijanovic, senior offensive lineman Ted Karras saw his 2014 season come to an end due to injury but insists that accusations of mistreatment from the Illinois coaching and medical staffs don't hold any water.

Simon quit on his brothers when we needed him most. These coaches let him stay on scholarship to finish his degree. #truth

— Teddy Karras (@_teddy_k) May 10, 2015

The same can be said for Matt DiLauro, the father of sophomore offensive lineman Christian DiLauro, as well as former Fighting Illini wide receiver Miles Osei. Conversely, the most prominent person to publicly back Cvijanovic's claims has been Andrew Weber, a former walk-on kicker who played under Beckman at Toledo. 

@IlliniSi I played for Toledo under Beckman and we had the exact same issues. Thanks for standing up! Be proud!

— Andrew Weber (@aweberphoto) May 11, 2015

That's not to say neither Cvijanovic nor Weber is being truthful, but it's going to be hard for Cvijanovic to accomplish what he wants with just the support of one former player from another school. If Beckman has truly created a culture as ugly as the one Cvijanovic has described, it's more probable than not that more players—current and former—would have already come forward.

It also doesn't help Cvijanovic's case that he has admitted that he wasn't a fan of Beckman's before he ever played for him. Speaking to The Doug Gottlieb Show, Cvijanovic recalled Beckman lying to him about beverages in order to pump up Toledo's sponsor, Yoo-hoo, during a recruiting visit.

"The first major issue is that he lied to me on my recruiting visit at Toledo," Cvijanovic told Gottlieb. "He told me Yoo-hoo chocolate drink has more protein than Muscle Milk. Simple lie, didn't need to be said, but it made him seem like a liar to me. So on the way home, me and my dad decided I wasn't going to go to Toledo."

Nevertheless, Cvijanovic's and Beckman's paths would cross when Beckman took over Illinois in 2012.

Whether or not Beckman is really bending the truth about Yoo-hoo (which possesses two grams of protein to Muscle Milk's 25) is really a "major issue" is somewhat beside the point. What's clear is that while Cvijanovic's recent accusations should be taken seriously, his issues with his former head coach have predated his playing days and are only becoming public now that his college career is over.

Any speculation about Cvijanovic's motivation truly being rooted in revenge would be just that, but at this point, there's simply not enough evidence for Illinois to take action on his accusations. What Thomas' investigation will ultimately find remains to be seen, but if it's Cvijanovic's goal to bring down Beckman, he's going to need help.

People can put words in my mouth and twist what I say but it's only hurting your reputation. This staff is going down.

— Simon Cvijanović (@SimonCvijanovic) May 12, 2015

And maybe it is. But it's going to take more than tweets like that. 

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.

Illinois Fighting Illini receivers coach Mike Bellamy has been suspended one game for a violation of NCAA rules related to helping a student-athlete receive an associate degree.

Bellamy will serve his suspension during Illinois' season-opening game against Kent State, per an Associated Press report (h/t Fox Sports).

"It was disappointing to learn the NCAA chose to classify this as a violation," Fighting Illini head coach Tim Beckman said.

The NCAA ruled Bellamy committed a violation by helping an unnamed student-athlete complete his associate degree after the school uncovered he had not done so. A report from Sean Hammond of The Daily Illini indicates Bellamy visited the college and convinced administrators to allow the student-athlete to complete a placement exam in exchange for his missed credits.

The player, who had withdrawn from the university, completed the exam and was awarded his associate degree. He has since re-enrolled at Illinois, but the university cited a privacy policy in not disclosing the student-athlete's name.

"I want to be very clear that no member of the University of Illinois football staff may be involved with arranging academic credits, questioning or influencing grades or otherwise intervening in the academic affairs of prospective student-athletes," Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas said in a letter to Beckman and Bellamy.

Bellamy, who played five NFL seasons after starring at Illinois as a receiver, has been the team's receivers coach since 2012. He is expected to return to his position for the Fighting Illini's Sept. 12 game against Western Illinois. The NCAA has not said whether it plans any further action.

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It was the battle for the "Cannon Trophy," as the Purdue Boilermakers visited the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday afternoon. 

Both teams were looking to notch their first Big Ten victory of the season after starting conference play with a loss. 

Illinois received a huge boost from the return of sophomore quarterback Wes Lunt. Lunt missed last week's 45-14 destruction at the hands of Nebraska due to a knee injury, but the talented QB started against the Boilermakers. In just four games, Lunt had thrown for over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Purdue entered the contest with the worst scoring offense in the Big Ten, averaging only 312 yards per game (113th in the NCAA). The Boilermakers were experiencing quarterback issues of their own. Danny Etling had been benched in favor of Austin Appleby.

The opening quarter saw both offenses move up and down the field. Lunt was as good as advertised in the first quarter, throwing for 112 yards and a touchdown. Josh Ferguson added a rushing touchdown. Purdue emphasized the running game, rushing for 72 yards.

The theme of the first half was Purdue's ability to control the ball. The Boilermakers held the ball for almost 20 minutes in the first half, due to 199 yards on the ground. Akeem Hunt scampered for a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter, giving the underdogs a 17-14 halftime lead.

The third quarter showcased both teams' offensive ability, as the two teams combined for 27 points. Appleby connected on an 80-yard touchdown to Danny Anthrop, as well as a 60-yard run that set up his sneak for a 1-yard touchdown. Lunt led two touchdown drives of his own to set the stage for a dramatic fourth quarter. 

In the end, it was the Boilermakers who made the winning plays in the fourth quarter. Appleby accounted for 278 yards and three touchdowns in his first start, leading Purdue to a 38-27 victory. 

As the Illinois Fighting Illini prepare to take on the No. 21 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday night, they'll have to factor in the absence of starting quarterback Wes Lunt.

According to Sean Callahan of HuskerOnline.com, Lunt is dealing with a lingering injury he picked up earlier in the week:

Per an Illinois sideline source QB Wes Lunt is definitely out. Injury happened midweek I'm told. #Huskers

— Sean Callahan (@Sean_Callahan) September 28, 2014

Matt Daniels of The News-Gazette in Champaign, Illinois, reported that senior Reilly O'Toole will start in Lunt's place:

Source confirms Reilly O'Toole will start for #Illini tonight

— Matt Daniels (@mdaniels_NG) September 28, 2014

Adding a bit of confusion to the situation was the fact that Lunt was in full uniform and warming up with the other QBs before the game, per Jon Nyatawa of the Omaha World-Herald:

Illinois starting QB Wes Lunt, reportedly out tonight vs #Huskers, is suited up. We'll see pic.twitter.com/5s3xC773P8

— Jon Nyatawa (@JonNyatawa) September 28, 2014

The sophomore entered Saturday with 1,237 yards passing for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He ranked second among Big Ten quarterbacks in yards, first in touchdowns and fifth in QB rating (154.1).

The Illini were major underdogs before Lunt went down, and without him, they're facing an even steeper mountain to climb.

Illinois will need the signal-caller back quickly because the team plays No. 19 Wisconsin in two weeks' time.

Give Illinois head coach Tim Beckman credit—he doesn't lack for confidence. Results or pesky facts aside, Beckman knows what he wants the Illini program to be, and he is great at messaging that. 

After signing what 247Sports scored as the No. 13-ranked class in the Big Ten this past week, Beckman was still out-selling what he signed as something very good. 

He especially loved "out-signing" Illinois' rival, Northwestern in Chicago. Beckman touted his team’s accomplishment at his national signing day press conference while also attempting to taunt his rival, according to Mike Clark of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“We signed four football players out of the state of Chicago, as we call it, and that’s more than the actual team that’s in Chicago signed,” Beckman said. “So we’re proud.”

There’s nothing like a good jab at your rivals, as Beckman was of course referring to Northwestern, who bills itself as "Chicago's Big Ten team." 

There's firing up alumni and the fanbase, and then there's putting lipstick on a pig. Beckman did the latter this past week, and no one should be buying what he's trying to sell. 

Yes, technically, Illinois signed four players from Chicago to Northwestern's three. However, Beckman failed to tell one very important fact—all three of the players Northwestern signed were of the 4-star variety. 

All three of those players, and another in-state product signed by Northwestern, all happened to rank higher than the first player Illinois signed from the state.

Perhaps Beckman was selling quantity over quality. However, for a team that also just got done losing to Northwestern on the field to end its season, it's an argument that rings hollow. 

The reality for Beckman is that in two seasons at the helm of the Illini, he's gone 6-18 overall and 1-15 in conference play. 

Beckman's team did make improvements in 2013, going 4-8 after a 2-10 opening campaign, and the Illini did manage to win a conference game after a 20-game losing streak. 

I get trying to excite the fanbase, and there is room for enthusiasm considering the overall trend on the field, but the second go-around on the recruiting trail didn't exactly produce banner results to get excited about. 

The good news is that how Beckman and his staff go about things on the recruiting trail has been getting some good endorsements.

“What I love about Illinois, they’re one of the more aggressive recruiting staffs in the country,” recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said, according to Clark's article.

Aggressiveness is fine, but the real question is if progress is being made. The answer to that is not on the recruiting trail, if the rankings are to be believed. 

Yes, part of being the No. 70 class in the country this cycle was signing a smaller class of 18 players. On the other hand, Illinois' average rating (0.8225) of its class was still lower than the last class (0.8291). 

Had the 2014 class seen a jump in the average ranking of the signees then there would be reason for optimism in the "state of Chicago," as Beckman calls the Chicagoland area. 

While it's important to talk a big game, especially to those that fill the athletic department coffers, it’s even more important to walk the walk as well. 

Beckman has the first part mastered, but his results on the field and on the recruiting trail have lagged far behind his rhetoric to date.

If he hopes to stick around in Champaign much longer, Beckman needs to do less talking and do more winning. 

*Andy Coppens is Bleacher Report's lead writer for Big Ten football. You can follow him on Twitter: @ andycoppens.