By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com

From Chicago and Peoria … Mount Prospect, Hinsdale and Rockford … the 2020 edition of Fighting Illini football's starting offensive line is an exclusively homegrown bunch.

Three seniors, a junior and a sophomore—all products from the State of Illinois—got the starting nod Friday night from head coach Lovie Smith and offensive coordinator Rod Smith. It's the first time since 1993 that the orange and blue started an all-Illinois O-line.

"It means an awful lot when our state's great high school coaches send their players to the flagship university," Lovie said. "They take pride in that and rightfully so. Illinois high school produce excellent football players."

Echoed Rod Smith, "With all five of them from Illinois, that's something a little unique for us."

Senior right tackle Alex Palczewski exudes an especially distinct level of state pride.

"It's awesome," he said. "I always say that the best offensive linemen come from the Midwest. It shows that this school really cares about our in-state ties. There are dudes from everywhere else, but this starting five is from Illinois. That just means a lot, that we're homegrown."

Teammate Doug Kramer, Illinois' senior center, couldn't agree more.

"I have a tremendous amount of pride in playing for this university," he said. "Growing up an Illinois fan, this is my dream. I've said it a bunch before. That definitely drives me. You want to represent your state well. The fact that you're able to have your family and everyone come to games adds to it, for sure."

Offensive line coach Bob McClain is most directly involved with the quintet of Palczewski (Prospect High School), Kramer (Hinsdale Central High School), senior left tackle Vederian Lowe (Auburn High School), junior left guard Kendrick Green (Peoria High School) and Chicago sophomore right guard Verdis Brown (IMG Academy, Fla.). When asked what makes his starters special, McClain didn't hesitate at all.

"It's who they are as people and the way they carry themselves on a daily basis," McClain said. "What separates players is what type of character they have and that's what makes these guys good. I tell them all the time that they make my job fun because I'm around good people. You know what you're going to get on a daily basis, you know what kind of work ethic you're going to get, and you know what kind of leadership you're going to get. When you incorporate all of that, that's what makes them good players. There are a lot of players throughout the country that have talent, but they never reach the highest level they can be as players because those other parts aren't in place. Character, work ethic, leadership. That's what really separates these guys."

McClain says that his upperclassmen serve as unofficial assistant coaches for Illinois' younger players.

"They really help the rest of the (offensive line) room," McClain said. "They set a standard and a culture that is really elite. They really help bring the young kids along in a good way. I'll be out there coaching and I'll hear them in the back coaching up the young ones and mentoring them in the right way."

Palczewski said he's just doing what his mentors did for him.

"When we got here, we had such great guys ahead of us," Palczewski said. "Nicky Allegretti and Christian DiLauro were here and showed us how to work. Obviously, they were both from Illinois. They showed us that nothing is guaranteed."

The guy that teammates call "Palcho" says wide receiver and good friend Mikey Dudek gave him especially good advice.

"He helped me become a bit more mean," Palcho remembered. "When I was a freshman, I was this big 'smiles' guy. He told me to stop smiling so much. Every time I saw him I would have to flick him off and say some bad words … something along those lines. Nicky, Christian and Mikey really helped develop me into who I am today."

Kramer also recalls the help he received from Allegretti.

"Nicky was a huge influence on all of us," he said. "We were all 18 and 19 years old and he was the one veteran on that offensive line. We learned a lot from him, on and off the field. We'd watch him every day and kind of just follow him around and do the same things that he did. From a mentality side, he brought a lot to the game that we still carry with us … toughness and grit."

McClain's individual assessments of his five starters:

ALEX PALCZEWSKI: "Palco is pretty special. He's the all-around package. He's made himself into a really good football player by the way he carries himself. He often comes to me after practice and says 'Coach, can you work with me on this?' He never thinks he's the best he can be. None of us ever are, but not many of us acknowledge that. He wants to perfect his fundamentals and technique, and he wants to take that next step. Palco is a great leader for this entire football program."

DOUG KRAMER: "He comes from the same mold as Palco. I call him the quarterback of our O-line. He's very intelligent and puts us on the right guys up front. He's very athletic, he tough, he's hard-nosed and he's a phenomenal leader. He's everything you want in a center, especially in our system. Doug brings everything to the table. If we were going to write up what we want for a center in our offense, he would definitely be that."

VEDERIAN LOWE: "We're so happy with the way he's playing. Vederian is playing his best football right now. Honestly, he's on a different level. He's starting to realize that his ceiling is really, really high. That light has come on for him, knowing that he can be as good as he wants to be. I've always been on him about consistency with his fundamentals. He's very, very athletic. I've told him that if he learns to be consistent, he's going to be pretty special. He's just a different player right now. He's really zoned in. He used to be kind of a quiet guy, but he's really standing out now as a vocal leader."

KENDRICK GREEN: "KG is as strong as any football player around the country. What makes him unique is that he's got the athleticism and flexibility to go with that strength. I talk to Kendrick about playing with leverage and body control. He's really bought into that and it's taken his game to the next level."

VERDIS BROWN: "He's done a great job of doing what he's needed to do off the field to get himself physically right. In our system, you've got to be able to move and he's done a good job of accomplishing that. Verdis has really taken to the coaching and the fundamentals, and toward being a more physical player.