2006 Spring Football Outlook
March 27, 2006 | Football
- Head Coach Ron Zook's pre-spring-drills press conference
March 27, 2006
One of the positives of the Illini being the youngest football team in the country in 2005 is that a solid nucleus returns this spring to help build Ron Zook's second edition.
The Illini return 20-of-22 starters from a year ago, while adding seven new members to the roster as early enrollees from the 2006 recruiting class. Gone from the 2005 team are starting fullback Jason Davis and defensive tackle Ryan Matha, as well as punter Steve Weatherford. However, joining the team this January were two junior college transfers in safety Justin Sanders and linebacker Antonio Steele; Oklahoma transfer offensive tackle Akim Millington; prep school standouts in cornerback Dere Hicks and offensive lineman Randall Hunt; and high school seniors in wide receiver Marques Wilkins and punter Kyle Yelton.
The following is a breakdown of the Illini squad by position:
 Senior offensive lineman  |
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OFFENSIVE LINE
All five starters from a year ago return to the trenches of the offensive line. With the excitement of a few new additions this spring, a battle could be brewing for starting roles. Back for another season are 2005 starters J.J. Simmons, Martin O'Donnell, Matt Maddox, James Ryan and Ryan McDonald. However, some fresh faces look to make the competition fierce. Millington, a transfer from Oklahoma University, provides both size and experience to the mix, with his 6-6 300-pound frame. He was slated to be the starter for the Sooners last year before a family emergency forced him to leave the team. Another exciting prospect for the coaching staff is former Illini defensive tackle Charles Myles, who began work with the offensive line toward the end of the 2005 season.
Also looking to play in the mix are juniors Jim LaBonte and Ben Amundsen, sophomore Eric Block and freshmen Will Bergen and Randall Hunt.
QUARTERBACKS
One year ago, a very inexperienced Tim Brasic won the Illini signal caller job after a strong spring performance. This spring he looks to improve on the offensive schemes that he used in 11 starts in 2005. In just one year as a starter, he completed over 60 percent of his passes for nearly 2,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. In addition to his passing statistics, Brasic showed a different side of his game, rushing for 420 yards, which marked the most by an Illinois quarterback in a season in the school's history. In the opening game of the season, Brasic led the Illini from a school-record 20-point deficit to record Zook's first career win at Illinois in a 33-30 overtime stunner against Rutgers. He passed for over 200 yards on six occasions and had five multiple-touchdown games.
Looking to push Brasic are sophomores Kisan Flakes and Billy Garza as well as redshirt freshman Paul Blalock.
RUNNING BACKS
Once again the running back position will be the area of strength for the Illini team. Returning this year are co-two-year starters in seniors E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas. For the last two years, the pair of 1,000-yard rushers has shared the load of offensive carries with Thomas leading the statistics with 664 yards and five touchdowns. In 2005, the team added a third threat in sophomore Rashard Mendenhall and the trio combined for over 111 yards rushing per game. Halsey rushed for 349 yards, while Mendenhall tallied 218.
All three are back to improve the rushing game as well as the passing game. In addition to their responsibilities on the ground, the three backs saw considerable receptions thrown their way. Halsey led the team in catches with 38, while Thomas recorded 28 receptions. Mendenhall got his hands on 13 catches for two touchdowns.
At fullback, the squad will also see the return of backup Russ Weil, who looks to fill the role vacated by the graduated Jason Davis. Weil had one carry last year and pulled in two catches. In an effort to add more depth and athleticism, sophomore Walter Mendenhall will return to the offensive side of the ball from the linebacker position he held last fall.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Last season, Zook showed why wide receivers are needed for his offense, as Brasic connected with 14 different players for receptions. Of those 14, eight were true receivers.
One of the suprising developments of the season was the success of then-true-freshman Kyle Hudson, a very under-recruited player from Mattoon, Ill. Hudson finished the season as the team's leader in receiving yards with 469 and 31 catches. He became the team's deep threat with six receptions over 30 yards.
Three other starting receivers return for this season in junior DaJuan Warren, and sophomores Derrick McPhearson and Jody Ellis. Warren played in all 11 games, starting six games and recording 21 catches for 205 yards. Ellis began the season as a starter before a shoulder injury forced him to miss the final five games. Before the injury, he had 15 catches and a touchdown. McPhearson got a late start on the year, while recovering from a broken leg suffered during summer workouts. He wrapped up the year as the starter, totaling 13 receptions.
Also looking to make an impact this spring and become a factor in the starting lineup is freshman Marques Wilkins, an early enrollee from MacArthur High School in Decatur. A highly touted prep, Wilkins excelled at both receiver and running back as a senior, totaling over 1,700 all-purpose yards.
TIGHT ENDS
With the departure of 2005 starter Melvin Bryant to graduation, the tight end position battle is wide open for taking. A pair of sophomores, Will Davis and J.R. Kraemer, will challenge to fill that role this spring. Both players had limited experience last season with Davis seeing time in eight games and Kraemer in five. Neither caught a pass for the Illini. Also adding depth this spring is defensive line transfer, Jay Ramshaw. Ramshaw's size looks to give the tight end position some added blocking ability in the run game.
 Junior defensive tackle Chris Norwell |
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DEFENSIVE LINE
With the loss of defensive tackle Ryan Matha to graduation, the Illini will have to find a replacement for only one of the four defensive line positions. Returning this spring are the pair of ends in sophomores Derek Walker and Sirod Williams, and junior tackle Chris Norwell.
Norwell looks to anchor the defensive front as the most experienced lineman. The two-year starter led the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last season, while batting down two passes at the line and blocking a field goal attempt. There will be tough competition this spring for the other tackle position as veteran seniors Josh Norris and Arthur Boyd look to move into the spot. Also challenging for time will be sophomores Tremayne Walker and David Lindquist, as well as redshirt-freshman Immanuel Chu.
Walker was named a freshman All-American by The Sporting News after a season in which he started all 11 games and recorded six tackles for loss. Williams, a true-freshman in 2005, became the starter late in the season after Xavier Fulton suffered a year-ending knee injury. Williams finished the year strong with 15 tackles in four games, including one for loss. Upon Fulton's recovery, he looks to push Williams to regain his spot, along with redshirt-freshman Doug Pilcher.
LINEBACKERS
Toward the end of last season, the Illini began to settle in on a trio of linebacker starters in J Leman, Sam Carson and Brit Miller, all of who return for the spring practice session. The squad saw significant playing time from five different linebackers, all of whom were just freshmen and sophomores.
Leman returns as the most experienced linebacker. He is a two-year starter who finished last season as the team's second-leading tackler with 67 stops and 5.5 tackles for loss. Another pleasant surprise from last year's freshman class was Decatur-native Brit Miller. Miller saw time in all 11 games, but made his big push into the starting lineup against Penn State. In his final four games of the season, Miller averaged 9.5 tackles, including a team-leading 11 stops against Ohio State.
Carson also ended the season in the starting lineup, splitting the season with sophomore Remond Willis. Carson poste 20 tackles, including two for loss, while Willis was the second-leading tackler from the linebacker position with 54 stops, 6.5 for loss. Junior Anthony Thornhill also made the starting lineup for seven games, making 33 tackles.
Looking to become a part of the mix this spring are junior college transfer Antonio Steele, sophomore Rodney Pittman and redshirt freshman Sam Porter.
 Junior safety Justin Harrison |
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DEFENSIVE BACKS
The Illini defensive backs look to be the strength of the defensive side of the ball, with all four positions returning starters. Junior, safety Kevin Mitchell led the team in tackles last year with 78 stops and 4.5 tackles for loss. He was in on over 800 defensive snaps, starting all 11 games.
Mitchell's fellow safety Justin Harrison also returns as a two-year starter. He missed the first four games of the season with a hip injury, but once he returned he became a dominant member of the defense averaging 7.9 tackles in the remaining eight games. In his first game back, against Iowa, Harrison intercepted a Drew Tate pass for a 30-yard return. Looking to challenge the pair for their starting positions will be junior college transfer Justin Sanders, who posted over 70 tackles in two seasons at NE Mississippi Community College.
At cornerback, the Illini used three players for the two positions last season, all of whom return this spring. Named Illinois' Most Outstanding Defensive Back last season, senior Alan Ball is the most veteran player in the defensive backfield. A three-year starter, Ball posted 55 tackles last season, leading the team with six passes defended. He had one interception, an acrobatic grab at Indiana. Senior Sharriff Abdullah occupied the other cornerback position last season, making all 11 starts for the Illini. He had 27 tackles, 24 of which were solo stops, and two tackles for loss.
Also returning is junior Charles Bailey, who began the 2005 season as a starter for the first four games. He, along with freshman Dere Hicks, will look to push both Ball and Abdullah for their spots.
SPECIALISTS
Two-thirds of Illinois' specialist positions return for the 2006 season. Once again, the squad can depend on the solid leg of placekicker Jason Reda and the steady long-snapping abilities of junior Kyle Knezetic. Reda led the team in scoring in 2005, making 13-of-20 field goal attempts and all 20 of his extra points.
The Illini will have tough shoes to fill at the punter position after losing four-year starter Steve Weatherford to graduation. He leaves Illinois as the all-time punting average leader and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection. In to help ease that transition is true-freshman punter Kyle Yelton. Yelton enrolled early at Illinois from his high school in Chesterton, Ind., to begin working on his college career. As a high school senior, he averaged 42 yards per punt with a long of 67, while also playing defensive back and handling all kicking duties.
