Illinois football signing day chat: 8 a.m. Wednesday
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - 8:00am
Illinois football beat writer Bob Asmussen will have a daylong chat as Ron Zook signs his 2010 class
Illinois football beat writer Bob Asmussen will have a daylong chat as Ron Zook signs his 2010 class
Welcome to another signing day chat. I will be here for most of the day. I will have to take a break to go to Ron Zook's press conference at 3:30 p.m. and I will be on WDWS with Steve Kelly at 5:15. But other than that, I'm all yours.
Let's get to the questions.
Bob:
What doughnut are you eating?
Coffee: Strong, medium, or decaf?
Who's your pick for surprise commit?
BW,
No doughnuts, yet. Maybe some will arrive.
I'm not a coffee drinker. It's either grape juice or Diet Pepsi in the morning. Yeah, I'm weird.
The surprise pick will be if Corey Cooper sticks with what he has told Ron Zook's staff and joins the Illini. It doesn't sound like that is going to happen. But you never know.
Note the Q&As we've been posting. We are monitoring the arrival of letters of intent and loading up the interviews as the players sign.
Who do you think will be among the most enjoyable to interview among these recruits in the next four years?
Charley,
I've talked to most of the guys already and they are all very nice kids. Chandler Whitmer and Trulon Henry are great to interview. And both Wilsons are going to be good to talk to during their careers.
5 unknowns today (Cooper, U. Johnson, E. Thomas, B. Denmark, and D. Millines)
Your guess as to how many fax over the LOI?
Harry,
Great question and a tough call. I think the Illinois staff will be happy to hear from any of them.
I talked to Earnest Thomas on Tuesday, so I'm certain he will be signing. Of the remaining four, I'll go with one more.
Bob,
What grade would you give the Zooker on this football class? Do you see any impact players who can help Zook keep his job? Did you take the Game Day bus for a spin yet?
Danimal,
Not to evade the question, but we can't really grade the class for a couple of years. Based on reputation, the class would be in the C range, but that can change based on productivity.
I think the safeties could be impact players.
We got to do our Monday radio show on the "GameDay" bus and it was really cool. It would be fun to ride around town in it. Lots of gawking. It's very impressive and the driver is a great guy. He told us Bob Knight and Digger Phelps rarely get on the bus. Snobs.
Who do you see among these recruits to become true natural leaders of the team in the next four years?
Charley,
I'd have to start with Chandler Whitmer, who got to know some of the other recruits and tried to help bring guys to Illinois. I think Mark Wilson has leadership qualities. And Jay Prosch seems like a guy who would get in your face to get you to play better.
We'll have a better idea about leadership skills as the guys arrive on campus.
Darius Millines has signed with the Illini. So, there is one of the undecideds Harry was asking about.
Do you know if anyone is carrying Coopers press conference on tv or the internet?
toddalan1975,
Not that I know of. I will try to get the information as quickly as possible and let you know.
Great about Millines. Any doughnuts yet?
Pick another, maybe Denmark will sign?
BW,
OK, go with Denmark. Of course, that's the native country of the Asmussens.
Still no doughnuts.
So according to SI we lost Cooper and we also lost Foose...not looking too good for the Zooker so far (minus the Millines sign)
Drew,
I tried to call Dan Foose about 50 times on Tuesday and never heard back. That was a sign that he might have changed his mind.
I think the Illinois coaches feel like Earnest Thomas can be as good as Cooper. Of course, they want them both. And it's difficult to lose kids in your own state. Though Tom Lemming said it doesn't matter where your players come from.
I think you will see the new coaches made a strong push in Illinois for the class of 2011.
Bob, I like your informative work....you are keeping us up to date on football in Illini Nation.
My question....There has been disccussion about the recruiting rating that the Illini are going to have this year....50's to upper 60's or so...however, I read on a site (maybe you mentioned it) that Boise State has rated in the upper 50's to the 70's in the last 5 years. The last time I checked they are not doing too bad. Can you give us a take on the difference, other than winning. Our recruiting the last few years has been good and yet we are not able to translate it to W's. Thanks
Wayne,
I think there is a flaw in the ratings system that gets exposed by schools like Boise State and Utah. The recruits are often judged not only on ability, but by what other schools make offers. That's wrong. Why do we believe coachees at Notre Dame and LSU know more about evaluating talent than coaches at Boise State? Based on recent history, the Broncos are better at figuring out what they need and then going out and getting it.
On the flip side, just because you bring together a bunch of high-rated classes it doesn't mean you are guaranteed success. Those players have to develop. Sometimes it doesn't work the way you hope.
Dan Foose to Florida State?
We just got Justin Green'ed!?
Harry,
It happens. His coach told me Tuesday he was going to sign with Illinois. Obviously, something happened to change his mind.
I know that Florida State made a hard push for the kid. It sounds like the Seminoles might have a big day.
Bob-
Are you a little surprised ZERO JUCO DE or DT will be signed today? Were mediocre ones signed by schools that can take more borderline academic prospects??
redgrange,
From what I understand, Illinois looked to junior colleges, but couldn't find a fit beyond Trulon Henry. There are some players who can't get into Illinois who will get into other schools. But I'm not sure that was the issue this time.
It looks like we really struck out on d-linemen in this class. With Brent at Parkland, how bad is our line going to be next year?
McCurdy,
It looks like the depth might be the issue there. Illinois needs Josh Brent to get his academics straightened out. It's a lot better defense with Corey Liuget and Brent anchoring the middle than it will be with just Liuget.
Don't understand the scouting ratings. Spencer Harris had better stats than Kyle Prater both his Junior and Senior years. Don't understand how this kid can only carry a two star rating. He had one game in which he caught 8 passes for 229 yds and 4 TD's against a team ranked as high as 6th in the country. I think Coach Petrino has a diamond in the rough.
Jlanman,
High school statistics, while a part of the ratings system, don't mean everything to those doing the grades. To the talent scouts, it's about who is recruiting you and what do you project to be in college. Spencer Harris might have a better career than Kyle Prater. The good thing is the players have a chance to prove the scouts wrong. And I think many guys are driven by that.
Will Chandler Whitmer Start next year?
Kyle,
I think Chandler has a chance to start next year. But if I was lining them up right now, I would have Jacob Charest first, Nathan Scheelhaase second and Chandler third. But it's very close. Whoever performs in the spring and summer will get the job. Period. The new coaches are going to pick the starter based on what they see from this point forward. It's going to be fun to watch.
So how many people are in the room as the fax's come in? Seems like alot of people get the same info at the same time as you guys do? also whats with the talk about doughnuts, now i am hungry...lol
Toddalan,
No more doughnut talk.
The Illinois football offices are full of nervous coaches and support personnel. It doesn't take long for the word to get out.
If you are wondering why Mark Wilson hasn't sent in his letter of intent, he is having a ceremony at his high school. I'm assuming he will send in his letter after that.
Juice was the 'face' of the football team in the last 4 years. Who do you see as the next 'face' of the program?
Charley,
Great question. With a tricky answer. I think it could be whoever takes over as the starting quarterback. Problem is we don't know who that will be.
It could also be Martez Wilson. Or Mikel Leshoure. Or Corey Liuget.
Long term though, if the new starting quarterback gets on a roll, he becomes the face of the program.
Are you dissapointed with our recruiting class this year?
Eric,
It's not my place to be happy or disappointed about the recruiting class. I'm not surprised that Illinois isn't getting as highly rated kids as in the past because of the team's recent records. When you win, you get the higher-rated kids. That doesn't mean this class won't turn out to be very good. There are a whole bunch of examples at Illinois of guys who outperformed their stars.
Now, I would have liked to cover Kyle Prater for four years. I got to know him some and think he is a good kid. If there's disappointment, it comes from not getting to cover people you get to know. Robert Hughes is another example.
Upon hearing that potential recruits have signed somewhere else, do/can coaches ever call and figure out what went wrong, for future classes and to better themselves as recruiters?
Ryan,
That sounds like a great idea. But I don't know how much it's done. I'm sure there is contact from the players to the coaches during the recruiting season. But once you've signed elsewhere, I'm guessing both sides move on.
Self-evaluation is a great thing. And you're right that it can only make you better in whatever you are doing.
where is MARK WILSON.....is he the only one they are waiting on right now, at least of the ones that were already verballed? Also Urell Johnson did stick with his TT commit. I guess the only one to hope for now is Denmark. any other thoughts?...
Scott,
Mark told me Monday night that he is going to have a signing ceremony at the school. I think his letter must be coming in after that.
Illinois has had one last-minute loss (Foose) and a late get (Millines). That's pretty typical, other than last year.
I'm kinda shocked about foose... I talked to him 2 nights ago and he told me he how much he liked the people, the coaches, and just the entire environment. Wonder what changed his mind?...
Marcus,
I think Florida State must have made a huge push, promising early playing time, etc.
When he didn't call me Tuesday, I got suspicious. But his words about Illinois were so strong, I figured he was just tired of talking. Turns out, it was something else. I wonder if I'll ever hear from him.
Speaking of Robert Hughes, do you think he's regretting his committment to Notre Dame because he's not playing much? I think he would of played more and maybe be a star at IL? Your take?
X5,
I've run into Robert a few times and I talk to his uncle, too. While there is some disappointment, the way he played later in the 2009 season had him feeling better. And I think he's excited about the upcoming season.
It's hard to know what would have happened to him at Illinois, but he could have had a major impact. The running backs on campus are good too.
If Mikel Leshoure plays as good as he did towards the end of last season this whole entire year, could he be a longshot for the heisman?
Derek,
You usually need a buildup season to get into that talk. Let's say he ran for 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. I think that would get him in the mix for his senior season.
Any word on Cooper yet?
Cooper has gone to the cornhuskers according to SI.com. Is there any other players that might sign that could replace him?