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TE Christian Abney: Emerging Illini Football Player to Watch in 2026

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It goes without saying that 2026 will be a "changing of the guard" type of season for Illini football. Immediate living legend of a starting quarterback Luke Altmyer, top pass rusher Gabe Jacas, leading receiver Hank Beatty, team captain and free safety supreme Miles Scott are all gone. As is an overwhelming majority of the starters on both lines, and a couple more starters in … [Read more...] about TE Christian Abney: Emerging Illini Football Player to Watch in 2026

Kylan Boswell: Strengths, Weaknesses of former Illini PG as NBA Combine Nears

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This past Friday saw the NBA Draft Combine invite list, 73 names long, released, and it included three Illinois Fighting Illini. Shooting guard and Jerry West Award wiiner Keaton Wagler, point guard/combo guard Kylan Boswell and small forward Andrej Stojakovic. Wagler is set to become a top 10, maybe even 5 overall pick. Stojakovic, who has a mid-to-late second round grade, … [Read more...] about Kylan Boswell: Strengths, Weaknesses of former Illini PG as NBA Combine Nears

Illini Head Coach Bret Bielema Sees a Bit of Vederian Lowe in NFL Draft Prospect J.C. Davis

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Former Illinois Fighting Illini left tackle J.C. Davis is likely to hear his name called at some point on Saturday in the NFL Draft. Most prospect big boards have him in the range of 110s-170s overall. That is basically the mid fourth to early sixth round. Perhaps the Oakland native and New Mexico transfer could surprise, and get selected on Friday night, in the third round, … [Read more...] about Illini Head Coach Bret Bielema Sees a Bit of Vederian Lowe in NFL Draft Prospect J.C. Davis

Illinois Basketball: Where the Roster Now Stands After Flurry of Decisions

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Wednesday brought a massive flurry of news for Illinois basketball. David Mirkovic, Jake Davis, Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic all confirmed that they are coming back for next season. Then on Thursday morning, we learned that Ty Rodgers is entering the transfer portal. So what does the current roster look like for 2026-27 Illinois basketball? This chart below is up to date, … [Read more...] about Illinois Basketball: Where the Roster Now Stands After Flurry of Decisions

Josh Whitman Brought a New Golden Era to Illini Athletics

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When Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, gave his farewell address it included this famous quote: "only when you're in the lowest valley, do you know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain." As the Illinois men's basketball team heads to Indianapolis this weekend, to face UConn in the Final Four, one can't help but think of this quote. Illinois … [Read more...] about Josh Whitman Brought a New Golden Era to Illini Athletics

Mihailo Petrovic Exclusive: ‘Final Four was a beautiful experience’

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During Illinois' opening round NCAA Tournament rout over Penn, Philadelphia Eagles icon, soon-to-be brother-in-law of Taylor Swift and guy who appears in every third commercial that airs during a NFL game Jason Kelce tweeted about the Illini. “Who knew that Illinois had so many Serbians,” the ESPN talking posted on Twitter. Actually, Illinois only has one Serbian on the roster, … [Read more...] about Mihailo Petrovic Exclusive: ‘Final Four was a beautiful experience’

Andrej Stojakovic Making Own Name for Himself; He’s Much More than Peja’s Son

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As the Illinois Fighting Illini went on their deep run through March, certain story angles got beaten to death. We chronicled most of them in our Illinois Fighting Illini Bingo Card/Drinking Game with "Camera Shows Peja Stojakovic" near the top of the list. Right next to it is "Announcer Says Andrej Stojakovic Has a Completely Different Kind of Game tha His Ftaher." Ok, we get … [Read more...] about Andrej Stojakovic Making Own Name for Himself; He’s Much More than Peja’s Son

Exclusive with Keaton Wagler: “once you’re an Illini, you’re always an Illini”

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Keaton Wagler, what else is there left to say about this sensational freshman at this point? Is he coming back to Illinois next season? Well, probably not, as he projects out as a NBA Draft lottery pick. Most likely, he will be top 10, perhaps top 8 overall, should he declare. Another reporter asked him if he's determined his future yet, on Saturday night, after the Final … [Read more...] about Exclusive with Keaton Wagler: “once you’re an Illini, you’re always an Illini”

Illini Basketball Game Preview, Prediction: Final Four vs UConn

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When this Illini basketball team lost to UConn at Madison Square Garden on Black Friday, it was a game that didn't receive much hype. After all, it was an early tip-off on the day after Thanksgiving, on many people were more focused on food, shopping, holiday season activities and football than they were on basketball. And then the game itself lived down to the lack of hype, … [Read more...] about Illini Basketball Game Preview, Prediction: Final Four vs UConn