Illinois is finally ready to play football again, and Thursday night brings the first real look at a team that has been reshaped from the ground up.
After 278 days away from Zuppke Field, the Fighting Illini open the season at 8 p.m. against UAB on Big Ten Network. The offseason brought change and realignment, but now the wait is over. Grange Grove will be packed again, and Gies Memorial Stadium will be back in full voice.
The biggest visual change will be impossible to miss. Thursday will be the public debut of the new scoreboard, and by all accounts it is going to dominate the night.
From north of Green Street, the orange glow can already be seen bouncing off nearby high-rise apartment buildings. The stadium upgrades don’t stop there, either.
Illinois also added a new sound system and new lighting, turning the place into a much different environment for players and fans.
Bret Bielema has already gotten a preview during late-night practices, and he sounds impressed.
“It’s never been brighter, louder, and bigger than what it is right now. It’s pretty awesome,” Bielema said.
The night setting matters, because that’s when Illinois will first get to experience the renovated stadium in a game atmosphere.
On the field, Bielema sees a roster with real strength in a few key spots, especially at running back and tight end. He said those two rooms may be the deepest they’ve been since he arrived.
“Our running back room and our tight end room probably have as much depth as we’ve ever had since I’ve been here,” Bielema said.
Ca’Lil Valentine and Aidan Laughery headline the backfield group, while Kaden Feagin has continued to stand out after moving over from running back. Feagin is still learning the tight end position, but Bielema said he has “literally gotten better every day.”
That switch is one of the more interesting developments on the roster. Feagin spent the last three years at running back, and at 6’3”, 260 pounds, he brings a frame that fits the position well.
At quarterback, Illinois is going with Katin Houser, a fifth-year senior with experience at Michigan State and East Carolina. He is the biggest question mark for the Illini, but Bielema has a track record of getting production from transfer quarterbacks.
Defensively, the most significant shift comes with Bobby Hauck taking over as coordinator and installing a 3-3-5 system. Bielema said he wanted a scheme that would make him learn something new and give Illinois a different look after its previous system became more common around the Big Ten.
The secondary also gets a boost with Xavier Scott back from injury and Matthew Bailey returning to help anchor the unit. Bielema pointed to Scott, Bailey and Mac Resetich as examples of players who went from lightly recruited prospects to top-level contributors.
“All three of those guys had one offer in college football, and it was the University of Illinois,” Bielema said.
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The $20.94 million project was funded mostly by a donation from Larry Gies, whose gift already reshaped the venue by putting his name on the stadium. Now the program is set to top a record previously held by Auburn, giving Illinois a new claim beyond the scoreboard itself. It is the kind of upgrade that says the department wants recruits, fans and rivals to notice what is being built in Champaign. [Read more 🡒]