"I am excited to begin the approval process and will, in accordance with league policy, proceed on a confidential basis and refrain from public comment."

Shahid Khan has expressed interest in acquiring a professional sports team for a while, University of Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther said Thursday.

"He's a very competitive guy," Guenther said. "He talked for some time about owning a professional franchise.

Shahid Khan, president of Flex-N-Gate Corp., is in line to buy the St. Louis Rams. He will not move the team to Champaign-Urbana.

After sending a 47-yard field goal straight through the uprights during November's IHSA Class 7A state championship game, Wheaton Warrenville South kicker Nick Immekus had made up his mind. He didn't want the state title game -— WWS defeated Glenbard West 31-24 in double overtime — to be his last at Memorial Stadium.

So Immekus recently accepted a preferred walk-on roster spot at Illinois.

Tampa (Fla.) Robinson football coach Mike DePue thought the worst when Illinois sent home 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior defensive end DJ Woods on an earlier-than-scheduled flight from his official visit to the UI campus

Signing Day was five days ago but Illinois may not have completely filled its Class of 2010 quite yet.

DJ Woods, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound defensive end from Tampa (Fla.) Robinson, flew up to the UI campus an official visit on Sunday and toured the campus Monday. He could go home as the 21st member of the Illini recruiting class.

West hire becomes official; Gilbert now assistant head coach

Ex-Tulsa coach fills final vacancy