CHAMPAIGN - David Mirkovic has already shown that his game is bigger than the spot he’s usually been handed.
Long before he became a freshman standout at Illinois, the sophomore forward was learning how to handle the ball and steer an offense from an unusual place for someone his size. Until he was 15, Mirkovic said he was mostly the center rebounding, running and getting the break started. Then, in the second division of a Montenegrin league, injuries and roster changes forced him into more of a point guard role.
He didn’t just survive there. He thrived.
"I had some crazy ass games in that league when I was 15, and it stayed like that," Mirkovic told Illini Inquirer at the Ubben Basketball Complex. "After the next year, they pushed me back to power forward or center."
Illinois is about to lean into that versatility again. With Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell gone, and five-star Quentin Coleman plus Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks joining the backcourt, the Illini are building a new-look guard group. But Mirkovic’s ability to create from his size gives Illinois something different, and the expectation is that he’ll be asked to serve as a primary playmaker in a high-powered offense.
That’s a pretty intriguing setup for a player who already put together a strong freshman season. Mirkovic earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and made the All-Big Ten Freshman Team after starting 35 of 36 games. He missed one start because of an illness at Northwestern, but otherwise stayed in the lineup and produced across the board: 13.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range.
Coleman and Vaaks will have their own facilitating duties, but Illinois is clearly prepared to run more of the offense through Mirkovic as well. At his size, with his strength and his ability to attack off the dribble, he gives defenses a problem they can’t easily solve. The result is the kind of matchup issue that can tilt an offense in a hurry.
In Other News...
Illinois May Have Found A New Way To Use Kaden Feagin
Bret Bielema used Big Ten Media Days to put a little more shape around one of Illinois more intriguing offseason experiments, as Kaden Feagin shifts from running back to tight end. Feagin has been one of the more productive players on the roster over the past three seasons, but the move gives the Illini a different kind of weapon to think about, one that could change how defenses account for him.
Feagin has already signaled hes embracing the change, even trading the No. 3 he wore as a back for No. 83. Bielemas comments suggested this wasnt a casual position tweak, either, and the early indication is that Illinois sees real potential in giving Feagin a new role that could open up even more for an offense that has valued his production. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois-Missouri Rivalry Is Back But One Big Piece Is Still Missing
The old border rivalry is coming back onto the Illinois football calendar, but one important detail still needs to be sorted out. Athletics director Josh Whitman confirmed the 2027 non-conference meeting with Missouri is set in principle, yet the site for that first game has not been determined.
Both schools still plan to reopen the series with a neutral-site matchup in 2027 before shifting to home games, with Illinois set to host in 2028 and Missouri in 2029. The matchup was renewed in 2017, but conference realignment and other administrative changes pushed the timeline around, leaving the return of the rivalry intact even if the opening chapter is not fully written yet. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Enters Camp With One Big Question Over Its New-Look Team
Illinois football is back at Gies Memorial Stadium for 2026 training camp, and the timing could hardly be more important after Big Ten Media Days. This is not the same roster that finished last season, and not the same staff structure, either. The Illini are sorting through a new quarterback, a reworked offensive line and a defense preparing to operate in Bobby Haucks 3-3-5 system, all while trying to turn a roster full of unfamiliar pieces into something cohesive before the real games arrive.
Bret Bielema has framed the early part of camp as a matter of handling the daily grind, leaning into the challenge of learning a new team as much as building one. For Illinois, the big question is not just who fills the obvious vacancies, but how quickly so many moving parts can settle into rhythm. In a league where September can expose hesitation fast, the Illini have to use these practices to find more than answers. They have to find an identity. [Read more 🡒]