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| Illinois head coach Ron Zook, his team fresh off a Texas Bowl win, is looking forward to the 2011 season. |
Illinois head coach Ron Zook will step to chat with Illini Nation live from the Illinois "war room" on Signing Day. He'll answer questions about the Class of 2011 as well as look ahead to spring ball. Fans are encouraged to submit questions.
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| Moderator: We are just about to start the Ron Zook chat. Keep submitting questions and follow along live. |
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| Chris (Champaign): Coach Zook,
With the loss of some pretty key players was there any particular position you targeted during this recruiting season? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Offensive line was the biggest target and I think we did a nice job filling in our needs. Like any class, balance is important and we are happy to have quality recruits at every position. |
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| Joe (Plainfield IL): Coach, This class looks to be a good one. Who do you think will have a chance for early playing time? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Every year since I've been here, we've played young guys. Everyone has an opportunity to come in a play early. When they come in during the summer and at camp Rantoul, everybody starts on the same level and we evaluate going forward from there. The best player will play next year. |
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| Gregg (Pittsburgh, PA): Congrats on getting Kirby out of Monroeville. Some good football in Western PA. How do you deal with negative recruiting against Illinois by other schools? Without naming names, are you aware of which schools try to use negative recruiting against us? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Negative recruiting is part of the process. At Illinois, we just focus on what we have to offer each prospective athlete. Obviously, I can't mention anyone specifically, but we are aware that it is a tactic used by some places and try to stay away from it. |
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| paul villanueva, plainfield: coach zook i have been an illini fan since the days of jc caroline and i welcome the new recruits to the illini nation. go illini!!! |
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Coach Ron Zook: Thanks a lot, Paul. We can't wait to see you at Memorial Stadium next season. |
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| Moderator: Coach Zook is on the phone with a recruit. He will be back in a minute to keep answering your questions. |
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| Dave From Edwarsdville, IL: Illini nation has expanded by some tremendous ball players in Georgia and South Carolina. How can you go into ACC/SEC country and pull out talent? |
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| Tim (St. Louis): The Recruits seems to be from all over the country, not just specific areas (Chicago, Maryland, etc.)as in the past. Is this attributed to the new coaches and their contacts in these areas or are athletes just responding to the program and its success this year? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Our position coaches play a big role for us with going into areas across the country to find the talent. Our coaches recruit by region, not necessarily by position. They have done a great job finding that talent all over. |
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| RJ (San Diego): How much impact did the bowl game win have on the last month of recruiting? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Obviously, winning leaves a positive attitude with our entire staff. It's a great way to jump start the next season, and the momentum from the win has carried us through signing day and into spring ball. |
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| Dan (Decatur, IL): What is the most difficult part of the recruiting process? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Selling the abstract picture to our recruits is the most difficult part. It is always a challenge to sell a feeling to a young athlete and his family. We do our best to show off our family atmosphere and try to have our current guys make them feel like a part of the Illini family. |
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| Alex (Ohio): Can you tell us a little about the speed of the incoming guys? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Speed is an essential part of football at this level. It's not always something you can teach, but we value it every season and look for it at each position. We have a number of guys this year who are not only quick but are also tough and know how to win. |
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| Mike (Wheaton IL): Coach Zook, was your recruiting influenced by the did the juniors who left for the NFL. |
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Coach Ron Zook: It was definitely a factor in decisions on those positions. It's similar to planning for when a senior graduates, however since the decision is not made until late in the recruiting process, it can be a difficult obstacle. |
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| Bill (Rockford): Will you be adding walk ons to today's signees? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Walk-ons are a crucial part of the football program. Every year we strive to get valuable athletes to help us improve. I know how important walk-ons are to a team because I started as a walk-on at Miami (OH) before earning a scholarship. Our walk-ons always have an opportunity to prove themselves and earn a scholarship. |
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| Jim, Chicago: Do you think Young and Ferguson can fill the void left by Leshoure leaving early? |
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Coach Ron Zook: These two running backs will join Pollard, Golden and Ford in the backfield to give us depth at the position. They each bring something different to the position and will be able to learn from the experienced guys already here. We also have an older offensive line coming back and Scheelhaase has a year of playing time under his belt, so I have all the confidence we will not lose a step in the running game. |
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| Zach (Fort Wayne): With the limited amount of time coaches get to watch recruits live, what do you look for in a player before you extend an offer. Go ILLINI |
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Coach Ron Zook: Our three main points of recruiting are: Academics - that they will be a successful student-athlete, Character - each athlete has to prove to us that they will be a positive member of our community, and Athletic ability - will they fit into our system. |
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| Alan (Scottsdale, AZ): I do not see heavy recruiting in the area of junior colleges especially since these player could make an impact for key early departures. What is the thinking behind not getting JC transfers more involved in the mix? |
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Coach Ron Zook: Each year we explore all of our options in the junior college ranks. We have had a number of valuable athletes come from junior college, for example current members Aaron Gress and Trulon Henry. |
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| Bs jr (the U): The program has added a lot of new facilities the past few years (indoor facility, weight room, locker room), is there anything else on your wish list |
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Coach Ron Zook: We feel like we have everything we need to be successful right now. Our stadium was just renovated, our locker room is like an NFL locker room, and our indoor practice facility and weight room are top notch facilities. |
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| Scott (Decatur): Coach, I noticed that none of the members of this recruiting class enrolled for the spring semester. Does that concern you at all or is it irrelevant? |
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Coach Ron Zook: In the past, if an opportunity presented itself for early enrollment, we are all for it. But it is also important for each athlete to finish their senior year strong and complete their high school experience. Everyone will be here by the summer, and I am confident this freshman class will be ready to go for training camp. |
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Coach Ron Zook: Thanks for all the great questions. I wish I could answer all of them, but I've got to get back to work. |
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| Moderator: That's all the time we had with coach Zook, but don't forget to submit your questions for the 1 p.m. chat with offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. Submit Questions |
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