Tag: Illinois Football

Illinois transfer offensive lineman spotted at Wisconsin football spring practice

Illinois transfer OL spotted at Wisconsin football spring practice

The Wisconsin Badgers football team had their 10th practice of the spring Saturday and Illinois transfer offensive lineman Joey Okla was reportedly in attendance.

Okla is from Hartland, Wisconsin, and he joined the Fighting Illini as a three-star recruit in the 2022 cycle. The interior offensive lineman appeared in one game with Illinois in 2023 after redshirting his first season.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

Wisconsin’s former coaching staff did not offer Okla during his high school career at at Arrowhead, but Luke Fickell and the current staff appear interested in reeling him in from the transfer portal.

If Okla chooses to join the Badgers, he’d provide the team with a strong reserve option behind Joe Brunner, Jake Renfro and Joe Huber on the interior of the offensive line.

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Longtime Bears, 49ers kicker Robbie Gould takes Illinois high school coaching job

Robbie Gould, the former Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers kicker, was reportedly hired as head coach of Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois.

Robbie Gould is returning to the sidelines just months after announcing his retirement from the NFL.

The former kicker who spent 18 years between three professional teams was named head coach of the Rolling Meadows High School (Ill.) football team, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Gould met with the team on Friday, the outlet reported.

Gould returns to the Chicago-area football scene, where he spent more than half of his illustrious career in the NFL. Over 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears, he scored 1,207 points, the most of any player in franchise history. He was cut from the team on the final day of preseason in 2016, and after spending the first six weeks of the season without a team, signed with the New York Giants for the remainder of the year. That offseason, Gould signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where he would play for the next six years.

Gould officially announced his retirement from the NFL in December after not signing with a team in the 2023 season.

Rolling Meadows went 2-7 last year, missing the playoffs for the second season in a row. The Mustangs in 2019 went 12-1 and reached the state semifinals but have struggled since, posting a record of 13-21 over the last four seasons.

Everything to play for: 5 reasons Iowa vs. Illinois is massive for the Hawkeyes

Make no mistake about it, every Big Ten game is big. But, some are bigger than others. Five reasons why Saturday is massive for Iowa.

In the Big Ten, every game matters. It is a grind each week to stack up wins and string together a successful season. But, there are some games that mean more and that is undeniable.

Be it what is at stake, sentimental moments, playing for something bigger, or whatever you may have, there are games that just mean more. That is what the Iowa Hawkeyes have this Saturday.

This Saturday, the Hawkeyes host the Illinois Fighting Illini in a Week 12 Big Ten West showdown. There are so many things in play for this one. Not just on Iowa’s side either. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is a former Hawkeye. Illinois is 5-5 and yearning to play in a bowl game.

On the other side, the Hawkeyes have even more at stake to play for when they take the field inside Kinnick Stadium. Here are the five reasons this game versus Illinois is massive for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

BadgersWire Staff Predictions: Wisconsin looks to bounce back at Illinois

The Badgers head to Illinois on Saturday afternoon

After losing their hold on the Big Ten West race and their starting quarterback, Wisconsin looks to bounce back on the road as the Badgers visit Illinois.

The Fighting Illini came into Camp Randall and beat Wisconsin a year ago, and will look to repeat their success of a year ago on Saturday.

Wisconsin is without Tanner Mordecai, who broke a bone in his throwing hand last Saturday, and will put the keys in the hands of Braedyn Locke. Locke has never started a collegiate game and got his first action last week in relief of Mordecai.

Here is how our BadgersWire staff sees it all playing out:

Everything you need to know about the 2023 Illinois Fighting Illini

Everything you need to know about the 2023 Illinois Fighting Illini:

Wisconsin is in need of a bounce-back week in the biggest way after its 15-6 loss to Iowa on Saturday. The opponent for that chance is Illinois, a 3-4 football team that has fallen far short of expectations.

The Badgers should have no trouble getting motivated for this contest. The team just suffered a demoralizing loss and Illinois embarrassed the program in Madison last season. Wisconsin should come out like the season is on the line and find a comfortable victory, even with Braedyn Locke under center.

There are several interesting storylines aside from the direct matchup on the field. None are more notable than former Wisconsin defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jim Leonhard acting as a senior assistant on Illinois’ staff.

Wisconsin’s season is now on the line every single week. Here’s what the team will be up against on Saturday:

Omaha lineman decommits from Illinois

An Omaha offensive lineman has announced that he is reopening his recruitment.

An Omaha offensive lineman has announced that he is reopening his recruitment. Omaha Central three-star recruit Caleb Pyfrom has decommitted from the University of Illinois.

Pyform committed to Illinois at the end of June. He announced his decision on social media.

“After talking with my family we have decided to open back up my recruitment.”

The 6-4 310-pound prospect is currently ranked as the No. 5 recruit in the state of Nebraska for the class of 2024. The Huskers missed the offensive linemen the first time around but are expected to be in the running the second time around.

Pyfrom is believed to preparing for a visit to campus sometime before the early signing period in December.

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Husker football fends off Illinois to win 20-7

Nebraska hit the road for a Friday night lights matchup with conference foe Illinois.

Nebraska hit the road for a Friday night lights matchup with conference foe Illinois. Both teams were coming off tough losses and were looking to right the ship. Mistakes plagued the Huskers and the Fighting Illini throughout the night. But Nebraska managed to make the most of them, pulling away from Illinois in a tense 20-7 win.

The Huskers’ defense returned to form following the blowout loss to Michigan, announcing it with a major goal-line stand on the first drive of the game. Illinois finished with just 21 rushing yards, forcing quarterback Luke Altmyer to throw 47 total passes. Altmeyer completed 29 of those passes for 289 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Issac Gifford led the charge for the Blackshirts, finishing the night with eight total tackles, four solo tackles, three pass breakups, and 0.5 tackles for loss. Gifford and the defense delivered big plays for Nebraska, including a forced fumble, an interception, a blocked punt, and even a kickoff recovery.

This gave Heinrich Haarberg and the Husker offense numerous opportunities to score. Haarberg finished the game 12-of-24 through the air, throwing for 154 yards and one interception. On the ground, Nebraska rushed for 158 total yards, with Haarberg leading the way with 82 yards and a touchdown. Haarberg’s touchdown came following the kickoff recovery, which came following a touchdown run by Anthony Grant.

But missed opportunities, ten penalties, and three turnovers by Nebraska’s offense kept Illinois alive throughout the second half. Following the forced fumble, Nebraska only produced a field goal, which made it the 20-7 final score.

Unlike its previous outings, Nebraska’s defense managed to fend off the Fighting Illini, forcing its third fourth-down stand on the night with under two minutes to play. The Huskers ran out the clock from there to seal their first victory over Illinois since 2019.

Nebraska, for the third straight year, stands at 3-3 through six games and enters its bye week. The Huskers will return from the bye week and host Northwestern to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Memorial Stadium. The kickoff time for the game is to be announced.

Iowa Football 2023 Schedule Breakdown: Illinois

The Iowa Hawkeyes return home for Senior Day in Week 12 to play host to Illinois. A preview of the Fighting Illini.

Illinois was one of the big surprises of last season. A team many thought to be a pest to play, but not necessarily a contender, Illinois was one of the big players in the Big Ten West.

Backed by a fantastic defense and rushing attack spearheaded by Chase Brown, the Illini quickly established themselves as a force in the West. Illinois won seven of their first eight contests. Had it not been for a bad call, they should have beat Indiana as well.

Unfortunately, the end of the season was a disaster for Bret Bielema’s squad. They dropped four of their last five, including a monumental game against eventual division winners Purdue. They had their spot in the Big Ten Championship game in clear view and just fumbled it away.

Despite the failure in the end, it still was a largely successful season for Illinois. Their 8-5 finish was definitely better than their 5-8 record in Bielema’s first season. They certainly looked better than they ever did under Lovie Smith.

Roots football under Bielema brought the Illini back to relevance, and it should keep them from derailing after losing a lot this offseason. Much of what made them successful last year is gone, from their fantastic secondary to Brown all going to the NFL. Whoever the key players are to emerge for Illinois, you can be sure they will give the Hawkeyes a hell of a fight.

Here is a preview of Illinois.

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Big Ten West team adds to football coaching staff

One of Nebraska’s Big Ten West opponents has added to their coaching staff heading into the 2023 season.

One of Nebraska’s Big Ten West opponents has added to their coaching staff heading into the 2023 season. Illinois has hired Jim Leonhard who was named a Senior Football analyst on Tuesday.

Leonhard heads to Champaign after spending six seasons as Weisconsin’s defensive coordinator. He also served as interim head coach for the final seven games of 2022.

He would help guide the Badgers to a 4-3 record, including a victory over Nebraska. Leonhard also had a ten-year NFL career.

The Wisconsin native spent time with Buffalo, Baltimore, the New York Jets, Denver, New Orleans, and Cleveland. He played in 142 games as a pro, with 73 starts and 14 career interceptions.

Leonhard will be a helpful hand as Illinois breaks in their defensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry and co-defensive coordinator Terrance Jamison will be spending their first season at Illinois.

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Top three kickers in the Big Ten for 2023

Big things are expected of Parker Lewis, but does he make the list of top kickers? #GoBucks #B1G

The Big Ten is usually fairly strong in the kicking department, but not this season as there are more than a few new faces. All three of the players chosen for this list are arguable and you could move them around as you see fit. I wouldn’t argue much, but there is some big-time potential on this list.

It is tough to discuss special teams without Iowa, so its kicker was an obvious selection and Ohio State is expecting big things from its transfer from USC. The last selection was a consistent leg from Illinois that deserves more recognition. That’s enough of a preview, let’s dive into the top three kickers in the Big Ten.