Big10 Football

I am really confused about why people keep dogging Illinois facilities... they just built an 80 million dollar football facility that opened 14 months ago.

247sports ranked it as the 11th best facility in the country in January... https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/college-football-recruiting-2020-facilities-Alabama-Clemson-Ohio-State-LSU-Texas-Georgia-Florida-142838731/#142838731_1

What am I missing?

I was wondering the same thing.

The facilities are largely offices and lounges. Lots of fluff on decorations of former players etc. I'll admit they are an upgrade amd maybe not crap but I do not think they are top 15 in the country.

The new 80 million dollar football facility ay U of I

https://www.news-gazette.com/sports/video-tour-ui-s-million-football-performance-center/article_04ed34f9-5869-5281-a022-ebaae503ceec.html


I think that is the sort of space that ought to lure high school stars. They would have signed me in 1974 if they had that facility, and I was any good.

Memorial Stadium itself is nearing its 100th birthday. Some renovations have been discussed and will probably cost North of $100 million. That place is a wind tunnel. If you happen to have a seat in a row in which there are several large people seated you are out of luck.

I'm not sure those things...fat people in your row and the aerodynamics of the facility, are top of the list items for top notch football recruits.

Teetime wrote:I'm not sure those things...fat people in your row and the aerodynamics of the facility, are top of the list items for top notch football recruits.

No but even on years that the Illini have had decent football teams they can't fill their 61K capacity stadium.

OSUBucks wrote:

Teetime wrote:I'm not sure those things...fat people in your row and the aerodynamics of the facility, are top of the list items for top notch football recruits.

No but even on years that the Illini have had decent football teams they can't fill their 61K capacity stadium.

You can talk all you want about facilities and how they may attract players but the I think we all know the best way to attract the best players is to win games. Something the Illini have not done consistently since the 90s. They have done a great job on getting 3 or 4-star recruits who may like the facilities more than a MAC or Sun Belt school but they are not landing the 5 stars because they are a bottom tier NCAA team. The 5 Star recruits have bigger aspiration and even a shot a the NFL so the exposure they get at OSU, UM, Iowa, and Wisconsin. You would think that having a former NFL coach would help but from the outside, it looked like Illinois only went after players when it was too late and they already had better offers from rival schools. The way Lovie has treated the HS coaches, I know if I were an HC, I would be more willing to send a kid to Northwestern, ISU, SIU, or EIU rather than the U of I.

Whoever the next coach is, they have to fix recruiting and this issue goes a lot further than just the facilities.

Why Lovie and his staff never made an effort to establish good relations with HS football coaches around the state is beyond me. Illinois produces some good football players, not on the level of Florida or Texas or even Ohio or Georgia but they produce enough that it could provide a decent pipeline if a lot of those kids stayed home.

The state of Illinois hasn't produced a 5 star recruit since 2017 and only has 7 of the top 500 college football recruits this year.

Keeping Illinois kids home isn't the answer.

Head Idiot wrote:The state of Illinois hasn't produced a 5 star recruit since 2017 and only has 7 of the top 500 college football recruits this year.

Keeping Illinois kids home isn't the answer.

I'm glad someone found some numbers, because I was thinking it seems the talent level in IL has been way down the last several years.

Facility Tour was impressive, need a Coach Like Indiana has!

I admit I don't know enough about Indiana football, or their coach, to make any kind of real analysis. However, the last win Indiana has against a team that finished the season over .500 was their season opener against FIU in 2018. That was 32 games ago.

Did you watch the Ohio State Game? Kids want to play for this man.

Head Idiot wrote:The state of Illinois hasn't produced a 5 star recruit since 2017 and only has 7 of the top 500 college football recruits this year.

Keeping Illinois kids home isn't the answer.

I read this and found it hard to believe. I just checked 247 Sports for class of 2021 and found 1 Illinois player in the top 300, David Davidkov from New Trier. Wow, given the population of the state they ought to be doing better.

I'm happy to announce that TTUN had a full practice on Sunday. If they had asked OSU if they would be willing to play on Sunday I know OSU would have accommodated them. As I said before they decided to duck out this year. When Bo was the HC up there he's tell his players "those who stay will be champions". Under Harbaugh it's "those who stay will be quitters".

OSUBucks wrote:I'm happy to announce that TTUN had a full practice on Sunday. If they had asked OSU if they would be willing to play on Sunday I know OSU would have accommodated them. As I said before they decided to duck out this year. When Bo was the HC up there he's tell his players "those who stay will be champions". Under Harbaugh it's "those who stay will be quitters".

I doubt it was Harbaugh's decision. You know who their president is right?

wolverine55 wrote:

Head Idiot wrote:The state of Illinois hasn't produced a 5 star recruit since 2017 and only has 7 of the top 500 college football recruits this year.

Keeping Illinois kids home isn't the answer.

I'm glad someone found some numbers, because I was thinking it seems the talent level in IL has been way down the last several years.

I didn't realize this either until an NIU coach made a courtesy visit to our school and told us the stats. He said "it's a great division three football state."

1 out of every 636 HS football players in the state of Illinois go on to play D1 football. That ratio makes it 28th in the nation. Behind Delaware and right before Colorado. Colorado does have 8 of the top 500 recruits this year compared to Illinois' 7 though.

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/sec-states-produce-tons-of-fbs-talent/amp/

OSUBucks wrote:

Head Idiot wrote:The state of Illinois hasn't produced a 5 star recruit since 2017 and only has 7 of the top 500 college football recruits this year.

Keeping Illinois kids home isn't the answer.

I read this and found it hard to believe. I just checked 247 Sports for class of 2021 and found 1 Illinois player in the top 300, David Davidkov from New Trier. Wow, given the population of the state they ought to be doing better.

Of all the local kids Iowa "stole" from Illinois, the only I can remember having any impact was the Hockaday kid from Maroa.

Getz from Meridian never played, neither did the Weinke kid from Tuscola. I tried to see if the Lee kid from Orion has done much, but he hasn't from what I found.

Jacardia Wright from St T has made the most news from local D1 kids lately. For getting arrested.

Head Idiot wrote:

OSUBucks wrote:I'm happy to announce that TTUN had a full practice on Sunday. If they had asked OSU if they would be willing to play on Sunday I know OSU would have accommodated them. As I said before they decided to duck out this year. When Bo was the HC up there he's tell his players "those who stay will be champions". Under Harbaugh it's "those who stay will be quitters".

I doubt it was Harbaugh's decision. You know who their president is right?

Yeah, I know he's pretty far to the left. So is their Governor. TTUN just wanted to stick it to OSU. They were hoping that the lack of games would knock OSU out of the playoffs. As far as OSU is concerned it's a decision that will live in infamy.

OSUBucks wrote:

Head Idiot wrote:

OSUBucks wrote:I'm happy to announce that TTUN had a full practice on Sunday. If they had asked OSU if they would be willing to play on Sunday I know OSU would have accommodated them. As I said before they decided to duck out this year. When Bo was the HC up there he's tell his players "those who stay will be champions". Under Harbaugh it's "those who stay will be quitters".

I doubt it was Harbaugh's decision. You know who their president is right?

Yeah, I know he's pretty far to the left. So is their Governor. TTUN just wanted to stick it to OSU. They were hoping that the lack of games would knock OSU out of the playoffs.

This smelled of UM dodging the game from the start. Don't worry, OSU won't forget and I expect a full Ass whooping next season the likes of ASU and Arizona.

newcom wrote:Did you watch the Ohio State Game?  Kids want to play for this man.

Agree, the Indiana players will run through walls for Tom Allen.

I just heard that Fitz won Big 10 COY. I love Fitz but I would have gone with Tom Allen this year.

OSUBucks wrote:I just heard that Fitz won Big 10 COY. I love Fitz but I would have gone with Tom Allen this year.

Agree.

I just do not buy all of the 'you cannot win at Illinois' talk. Iowa does it. Wisconsin does it. Iowa State does it. Kansas State did it. I have been to all of these places, and none of them have facilities better than the U of I.

It will take the right HFC and staff to get it done, but it can be done.

What Fitz has done at NW is amazing. I hope he does not take the Bears' job.

OSU will get in, assuming they take care of business against NW. There is just too much money at stake. As good as the SEC and ACC may be this year, they do not draw television numbers like the Big Ten - especially OSU.