Upon further review

The group of 24 football players had everything – size, speed, hype. Especially hype.

Illinois' 1995 class got pegged early as one of the best, not only in the Big Ten but nationally.

"Illinois is having a Top 10 recruiting year," analyst Phil Grosz said at the time.

The Illini had a big-time quarterback: Chris Redman.

They had an All-America offensive lineman: Mike Flaar.

They had an All-America defensive lineman: Oku Satcher.

Gone. Gone. And gone.

Redman never made it to campus, opting out after Lou Tepper fired offensive coordinator Greg Landry. You'll see him Saturday at Memorial Stadium, starting for Louisville against his former school.

Flaar spent three nondescript seasons buried on the depth chart before academics knocked him out of school last spring. He was working security on a riverboat casino during the summer and pondering his athletic future.

Satcher didn't last as long as Flaar, again because of academics. He's at Joliet Junior College and thinking about a return to college football.

The failures from '95 are more the exception than the rule. The class produced nine current starters and a 10th, Jeff Weisse, who might as well be one. Seven other players from '95 are contributing.

That isn't counting starting kicker Neil Rackers, who is technically part of the class but wasn't originally given a scholarship. He's now going to school for free.

Class act

Of the seven players gone from '95, none has made it bigger than Redman. He's among the nation's leaders in total offense. Most figure Redman has a chance to play in the NFL. Heck, he might even be ready a year early.

Redman dealt with his Illinois past before last year's game. He doesn't want to rehash the events. He has moved on.

The redshirt junior said he's looking forward to visiting Memorial Stadium, where he led his high school team to consecutive seven-on-seven tournament titles.

"It's been a long time since I got to play in there," Redman said. "It's a beautiful stadium. I love the field. It's a real soft turf. It's a nice place."

There won't be a bunch of old friends on the other side of the field. The Illini barely got to know Redman during his campus visits.

"We were supposed to be roommates on our visit here," Illini defensive end Weisse said. "He was always hunting, so I just put the beds together and didn't mind it."

The Illinois players don't hold any grudges against Redman.

"As far as I'm concerned, he did what he had to do for his well-being," Weisse said. "I don't concern myself with that. He went his way, and I went my way."

Not that Weisse plans to take it easy on his almost teammate. When asked about chasing Redman, Weisse got a little glint in his eye.

"I'm looking forward to meeting him again, yeah," Weisse said.

Down, not out

In the beginning, Chico Brown looked like a future star. Maybe another Anthony Munoz. Or Richmond Webb.

Brown became the first Illini freshman to start on the offensive line in 13 years. He was in the lineup for three games at left guard.

He couldn't handle it. At the end of the school year, Brown dropped out.

"I understand exactly why it happened," Brown said. "I went to UI on my 17th birthday. I was a kid. I was starting. It was pretty overwhelming. Some people get it and excel with it. Or you can get it and fall to the bottom. I did the latter."

Brown loved football. He loved the college life. He just didn't love college.

"I was too childish to handle something like that," Brown said. "I couldn't get up for class, so I would just go to practice and then go out. Go to different bars. I was a pretty big man on campus, so everybody loved me."

Brown saw the potential for his class. Like everyone else, he noticed the size and speed. And he expected Redman to be a star.

"That was a big-time thing," Brown said. "I thought we were going to have a big-time quarterback finally coming in."

Brown talks about Illinois like he's still a part of the team. If he had stayed, Brown said, he already might have moved on to the NFL.

He isn't thinking about pro football now. He doesn't even play the game anymore, switching to basketball after he left Illinois.

Brown's biggest game is survival. He went from the Illini to Lincoln College. Again, schoolwork got the best of him.

"My mind wasn't right," Brown said. "I was still a little kid. Not going to class, doing the same thing I was doing at Illinois.

"No one has ever questioned my athletic ability. My mind state wasn't good there."

After a year at Lincoln, Brown dropped out. He lived in Decatur for a while, then moved back to the Edwardsville area.

Returning home didn't work out.

"I got into it with my mom," Brown said. "I got kicked out into the street for a while."

Two or three nights? Try six months.

During last winter and spring, Brown was homeless.

"I slept on soccer fields, basketball courts," Brown said. "I played basketball until I fell asleep. Different friends would let me spend the night. I never was the type of person to be a burden on somebody. I'm not the type of person who would take charity, either."

Brown worked when he could. Not many job opportunities for 6-foot-8, 330-pounders.

"I just got by using my wits," Brown said.

Ever do anything illegal?

"Sometimes I had to," Brown said, without going into specifics. "I had to do what to do to survive."

At a party one night, Brown met a basketball player from Belleville Area College. It was time for Brown to go back to school.

The player talked to his coach, who contacted Brown. During the summer, Brown took classes to regain his eligibility. Got a 3.8 grade-point average, a Brown record.

"I was always a smart kid," Brown said. "I was just a lazy kid."

He'll be BAC's starting power forward this season. If all goes well, Brown plans to take another shot at Division I, in either football or basketball.

He's living in housing provided by BAC and going to school on a scholarship. Brown's life is turning around.

"I was pretty low," Brown said. "I've been to the highest point. I've been on SportsCenter and things like that. Also, I was homeless. In 21 years, I've done what most people haven't done in 50."

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