Calvin Hart Jr. has waited over three months to play in front of his daughter, who was born in September. The colder Midwest weather has prevented her from coming to games up north, but Hart will finally get the opportunity to see his daughter in the stands in Tampa in January when Illinois competes in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Hart is one of 25 Illini players who played high school football in the state of Florida, a mark that ranks first among Big Ten teams. Though he did not expect to have the ability to play in his home state again after transferring to Illinois, Hart is grateful for the chance to compete in a bowl game in front of his friends and family.

"It's on a big stage, and especially being back home, you gotta love that kind of environment," Hart said. "It makes me want to play my best football I've played all year, so I'm gonna go hard like we're playing for the Super Bowl."

While Hart hails from Fort Lauderdale, four hours southeast of Tampa, Jer'Zhan Newton is from St. Petersburg, just across the bay from Raymond James Stadium. His family lives 15 minutes away from the facility that will play host to the ReliaQuest Bowl, and he's trying to get tickets for everyone.

Only about 15 people of the 50 to 60 people he wants to bring to the Illini's bowl game have seen him compete in the Orange and Blue, whether it be because of the price of airline tickets or work commitments. With Illinois competing in his own backyard, he wants to make his friends and family proud since they have supported him throughout his high-school career.

"It means the world to me," Newton said. "Just seeing my family in the stands while I'm playing, it just gives me an edge to play better. It makes me happy that I have a big support group behind me, and it just gives me more confidence."

The Illini defense features a big chunk of the team's Florida natives, including Hart, Newton, Tahveon Nicholson, Jartavius Martin, Seth Coleman, Tyler Strain, Devon Witherspoon, and Gabe Jacas. On the opposite side of the ball, Pat Bryant hails from Jacksonville, the lone offensive starter from Florida.

"Florida, we got some dawgs, especially on defense," Hart said. "A lot of Florida boys on defense, so that kind of speaks for itself."

Illinois returns to a bowl game for the first time since 2019 and will take on No. 22 Mississippi State for the third time ever and the first time since 1980. Newton will play in his first bowl game, which he says is a sign that " the program is heading in the right direction," while Hart will also make his first bowl appearance in his second season in Champaign. 

Hart and Newton are ready to trade the Midwest winter for the warmer South weather, even if just for one week.

"I am ecstatic. We get some good weather in January. That's really all you want, honestly. I'm excited to be in some good weather," Hart said. "What Coach put together since January, this ain't been just a walk in the park. We've been doing it. We've been grinding, so being able to get to a point where we reached a goal, but we got way more work to do."