Hey Mike, good to hear from you,
The Illinois coaches are adamant that the punting has to improve. They are convinced that Anthony Santella got a huge boost in his confidence in the Rose Bowl. And his long snapper in that game was Tad Keely, who replaced an injured Kyle Knezetic, which is another plus.
Illinois was 92nd in net punting last year and that doesn't make Ron Zook happy. What I've seen so far at Camp Rantoul is better work from Santella, who is being pushed by Jared Bosch. The coverage teams will be filled with starters. I saw Will Davis working there the other day and Martez Wilson seems to be a fixture.

Jon,

That's a great queston. Technically, I don't think there is any reason D'Angelo McCray couldn't transfer back to Illinois next year. Or the year after. But when you move from I-AA to I-A, it costs you a year. Plus, I'm not sure the Illinois coaches would want him back. They've moved on, brought in a bunch of young defensive tackles and are recruiting more.
It's going to be interesting to see the team's reaction to D'Angelo on Sept. 6. I think the Illini wish him well, except for that day.

Grant,

I think the main thing that will surprise you is the number of players the coaches use at the different positions. There is quality depth pretty much across the board and the coaches have made it clear they want fresh players on the field. That doesn't mean Arrelious Benn or Juice Williams or Vontae Davis are coming off the field much. But it does mean you'll see plenty of Jerry Brown, Miami Thomas, Jason Ford, etc.
And the overall athleticism of the team is the best I've seen at Camp Rantoul. Hard to believe how much the team has advanced from 2-10 in 2006.

Tom,
Thanks for the kind words. I'll start with Will Judson and Michael Hoomanawanui, who had been playing well in practice and continued that work in the scrimmage. I thought both Jason Ford and Mikel Leshoure were impressive. They got more carries because Troy Pollard got banged up.
Not so much a surprise, but a confirmation that Martez Wilson is figuring it out. He seems to be in the right place a lot of the time. His understanding of the defense improves each day and he's going to be a problem for opposing offensive coordinators. It's a bad sign when your receivers and tailbacks can't outrun the linebacker.

Tim K.,
It still looks very open to me. When you watch in practice, Curt Mallory uses all sorts of combinations. He isn't sure yet who will be the starters.
I do think Travon Bellamy will be one of the starters in the secondary. Does that mean safety or nickel? Could be both. I'm going to go on a minilimb and guess that Flowers and Bellamy start the opener, but that Donsay Hardeman, Nate Bussey and Garrett Edwards get plenty of work. Illinois will need extra defensive backs often in the opener.

Scott,
Assuming Xavier Fulton returns soon and is healthy, I think the starters in the opener will be Fulton and Ryan Palmer at tackles, Eric Block and Jon Asamoah at guards and Ryan McDonald at center. The next guy in appears to be Randall Hunt.
When the unit is together, it can be extremely effective. Eric Wolford has done a very good job with the Illinois offensive linemen.

Scott,
I thought Jacob played very well in the scrimmage, especially considering it was his first live work with the coaches off the field. He's poised and can really throw the ball. And I'll continue to point out that he moves very well.
Like all freshman quarterbacks, I'm sure it's difficult at times for him with all that is being thrown his way. But he seems to be handling it well. He also looks to be in command when given the practice opportunities. Not all freshmen are that way at quarterback, especially when there are veterans around.
He's going to be a very good player. And it looks like that could be very soon.

Gregg,
Definitely, the young guys will get more time. It seems like Daryle is a bit ahead of Reggie at this point. But there is an opportunity for both of them.
Sirod Williams was playing very well. Illinois will be very happy to have him back in 2009.

Detlef,

Preaching to the choir. Illinois should play seven home games every year, in my opinion.
I just put in a call today to get some updates on 2009. I have just two games listed: Illinois State and Missouri, but I believe Cincinnati is on the schedule.
We will run as much of the future schedules as we have available in Sunday's paper. We've got the Big Ten part through 2012, but have some holds in the nonconference schedule.
There will be a Thanksgiving Day game in 2011 at Memorial Stadium against Wisconsin. That's not a done deal yet, but it seems likely.

Mary,
Other than Loren Tate?
I honestly can't come up with one. The freshmen, across the board, have been as good as advertised. The running backs are better than they were in the spring. The lines have improved on both sides.
Maybe point to the NCAAA Clearinghouse, which hasn't approved linebacker Evan Frierson's application. Had he been here the past two weeks, he would be competing for playing time.

Albert,
Nate Bussey seems to be doing well in practice. He is in the mix at safety, but I'm guessing he will be a reserve in that game.
The coaches are happy with the numbers at safety. They just want somebody to command the job.

Curt,
It's a great name. Like all the young guys, he seems to have his ups and downs. With Sirod out, all of the defensive linemen move up a notch.
It had to help Whitney to start school in the spring and to be with the team a semester early. The payoff might come down the road, however.

Warren,
I'd have to say Missouri has the bigger question mark. The position is critical to the Missouri offense and the starter will be new. No way to guarantee that it is going to work.
While Illinois lost Chris Norwell and now Sirod Williams, there is experience back at defensive tackle with David Lindquist and Josh Brent. Plus, Cory Liuget looks like he will be ready to play soon.