The Rise Of Illinois Football
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- in this video I talk about the rise of Illinois Football. I go over their coaching hires from 2007 to the present day. Bret Bielema is building something special at Illinois.
ig: Justjalenyt
twitter: Jalen_antonio1
College Football, Illinois Football, Illinois Football highlights, College Football, Illini Football, Illinois Fighting Illini, Bret Bielema, Bret Bielema press conference, Illinois vs South Carolina highlights, Illinois Fighting Illini Football, Illinois FIghting illini Football highlights, Luke Altmyer, Devon Witherspoon highlights, Football, Lovie Smith, #football #sports #collegefootballnews #collegefootball #collegefootballhighlights #illinoisfightingillini #illinoisfootball #illini #bretbielema #illinoisvssouthcarolina
Illinois fan here. Thanks Jalen for this podcast.
Yes thank you, all good memories.
LETS GO ILINI
Your excitement is infectious! Bielema has really done well in the NIL era - he fills skills-based gaps from the transfer portal quickly, and the team seems to attract better talent every year. Understanding the players he's losing this year (mostly receivers and DL), he's already secured two of the best WR from the portal, Hudson Clement (WVU) and Justin Bowick (Ball State), and two strong pass rushers, Curt Neal (Wisconsin) and Tomiwa Durojaiye (Florida State). By getting a commitment from Altmyer early, the openings at receiver looked more attactive to potential transfers. Coach B also went out west to spend Christmas Eve with JC Davis's family in Oakland once the rule change about players from JUCO's came out. Securing a commitment from Davis for another year will ensure Altmyer stays upright and has time to find his receivers.
Illinois freshman here. Never been a fan of football but after I attended the Illinois vs Kansas game, my love for not just football grew but my passion for The Fighting Illini grew as a whole. I'm excited for next year and hope to see us in the playoffs. Wonderful video man. ILL 🔶🔷🏈
Well done with this short video! As a lifelong Illini fan it is always a rollercoaster ride with the ups and mostly downs. When I was roaming the campus in C-U we had a famous tshirt that read ‘A Drinking School with a Football Problem’. No joke. But I think we finally have the right head coach in place to make us perennial contenders. Now we just have to make sure he doesn’t jump ship any time soon.
I think Bret is an Illinois lifer. Also cool shirt 😂. Thank you for the support ❤️ hope you subscribe and comeback for more
Lovie needs credit for digging us out of a deep, deep, DEEP hole before getting bored with the entire college thing. Hiring Bielema and watching how he has rebuilt Illinois is a fun watch. I like you giving out all the individual players shout outs. Fast forward the last two years, we're sending players to the show, we've built depth and the next men up are doing a great job. And Coach B isn't just evaluating and developing players; grabbing Lunney was a great move and Henry's huge strides from year one to year two. So many people have done such a great job. It's nice to be fun to watch again. Great video.
I agree on the movie part. He was able to get talent and some wins. Thank you for the support ❤️
I agree. The results on the field weren't there but he rebuilt the foundation of the program that allowed it to grow the way it is.
@ well said. Thank you for the support ❤️
Great video man! Glad that I got this recommended
Thank you for the support ❤️
I'm an Illinois fan and love this!! I went to the bowl game a few days ago and it was amazing. Tbh only better game I've ever been to was the homecoming win vs Wisconsin. Energy was just amazing in both
Glad you enjoyed the bowl game! Thank you for the support ❤️
Great video! My favorite professional sports teams haven’t been good to me AT ALL. Thankfully I have winning Illinois football and basketball to occupy my time.
As another long time Illinois fan It's nice to see them be relevant again. Even if it's every other year. watching them get 7-10 wins is really nice. I don't know what next year holds, but we'll see.
@@ianemory5800 we're expected to return 16 starters. So I think we make back to back bowl games for the first time since 2010-2011. Thank you for the support ❤️
@@ianemory5800 ILL 🟠🔵
@@ianemory5800 I’m just glad South Carolina is good enough to be considered a good sec team. Those muschamp years were tough.
If Penn St plays @ Illinois we in the Playoff. Still a final Top 15 team.
My guy Jalen with another Banger! The Fighting Illini Faithful deserved a season like this. Can't wait to see what Luke Altmeyer and company do next season.
The thing that changed with Brett vs Lovie, and you could see this almost right away, was competence and discipline. The penalties came down, yeah we were losing some and winning some but we were losing good with Brett. We weren't losing bad the way we did with Lovie etc. I don't mean the score was close or blowouts. i mean we we went from losing b/c it was a poorly coached team and limited talent pool, to a team losing b/c a of a limited talent pool. Now the talent is starting to flow and the program is on the ups. Next step is winning games we think we should win 90% of the time. Where you can circle wins on the schedule confidently. Right now it's still a bit too 50/50 but we are getting there.
@@sumdude4281 I'm so happy we got Bret. Thank you for the support ❤️
Good stuff. I became an Illini fan in 2008. I was a freshman in high school and I thought of college a bit so soon and it’s a state school. I never went to U of I. But I still love their athletics.
25 years old. Lifetime Illini fan. That OSU game in ‘07 was on my brothers birthday and really when my fandom grew into something special and that I could remember
Awesome video, recently graduated from Illinois and have been loving the program under bielema
Glad to hear it!
This was a really good video with a fresh perspective.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Great video! Thanks for highlighting Illinois.
Glad you enjoyed it!
As a lifelong Illini fan who is in their mid 20s and spent years going to games with 4-8, 2-10, and 5-7 teams I can tell you just how unlikely this season felt just 4 years ago. I was at memorial stadium in 2018 for a loss against Iowa 63-0. Barely over 6 years from that day and we’re citrus bowl champions and given me the best moment I’ve ever had as a fan of any team. What Bielema has done with Illinois is unbelievable. 3rd youngest core in power conference football and only 2 bench players transferring out? We are lined up to be very solid next season. The light at the end of the tunnel has begun to appear as more than just a flickering light
@@IlliniFootball12312 bro I remember that 4-8 season. We got 63 dropped on us 3 times that year. Thank you for the support ❤️
The real person that should be spotlighted her is AD Josh Whitman. He brought in Brad Underwood who turned a bad to very mid basketball program that had nothing to tout except but the glory days of 05 to a national championship contender. He also brought in Bielema who as you highlighted has turned a football program that hadn’t won a bowl game since 2011 into a team that could be competing in the CFP next season. Whitman is truly the goat.
I agree I ment to mention him but I forgot. Thank you for the support ❤️
I agree I ment to mention him but I forgot. Thank you for the support ❤️
@@justjalen2700 And don't forget Barb Wilson who fought to get Josh hired. Shout out to Barb... sad we lost her to Iowa, but I wish her well.
Glad you're an illini fan! Our boys making the playoff next season, book it
Yessir . Thank you for the support ❤️
I can't imagine that LBs and DBs won't be among tops in Big Ten. And the infusion of solid guys from Wisconsin, a C+ O Line potentially returning everyone, possibly 1st or 2nd best QB in the conference, decent running backs galore, good tight ends and some decent returning receiver plus potential star from WVU? I agree with you.
Great video. I’m pumped for homecoming next year vs USC. I think we should have a good squad
@@shaneh9723 we’re gonna be ranked top 15 going into next season
Wes Lunt went to my high school, dude was sooo fun to watch growing up, so sad his career didn’t pan out.
Great HS player.
We have a player that currently plays that went there as well. His name is Hank Beatty
Illinois fan 4L, grateful they gave me something to cheer 4 outside of all the shit year for Chicago professional sports🙏🏾. And s/o NIU and Notre Dame they all have a special place in my heart. Grew up going to Champagne(B10), Dekalb(MAC), and South Bend(IDPT) for football games. I’m glad they All in different conferences❤😂
Yeah I like how you structure your content bro. 2x per week. Keep doubling down champ 🙏🏾
@@carloswharris fasho bro thank you for the conversations and support ❤️
In the '80s through the early 2000s, nobody lost bowl games like Illinois did. I'm delighted to see them rising today!
Illinois should be able to hang with the conference, they just haven't. Things have changed a lot, probably helps them. I did enjoy Bret schooling Beamer, he was prepared for their shenanigans
Bret schooling Beamer was great. Thank you for the support ❤️
I miss the 2022 Illinois defense😥
Same that defense was lockdown
Great video. Illinois has had it's share of internal adversity (e.g., non-performing transfers and injuries) along the way; has shown grit to get to ten wins.
Yeah, just need so much Illinois content! ILL
I was on campus for a lot of the early games you mentioned. Zook era definitely had some talented teams, but couldn’t stay consistent. Beckman era was a complete disaster, and Lovie wasn’t the splash hire we all thought. 2024 was great springboard, the future of Illinois Football looks bright
Thank you for the support! I think the future looks bright too.
I went to the Purdue game this year very hype atmosphere.
@@The-Bengals-Fan same lol man my heart was racing at the end. It was no reason for it to have been. A OT game. Thank you for the support ❤️
@@justjalen2700 it got so loud on the 2pt I hate how our defense played in the second half
As an Iowa fan I love seeing Illinois become great again and beat an sec team
Does not happen often but we will take it. I don’t root for Iowa often but was pulling for them against Mizwho.
@ cannot believe we lost that game
Always and FOREVER #FightinIllini Fan, Bret Bielema has this program on the rise and Lunney and the Jamison, etc. Are starting to put the puzzle together far as better offense and Defense. I believe we need to play a pro-style offense or Power-I here and there. 2025 let's shock the COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD #Littyville
That 2007 team should have done a lot better than 9-4. Zook was not a great coach but he got a lot of elite talent to come to Champaign. I still don't know how Zook pulled off getting all those 5 star recruits.
Yeah zook was a great recruiter
He landed two of our highest rated recruits of all time in Benn and Tez Wilson. Mike Locksley helped a lot with landing those guys.
@ now locks is doing a solid to good job recruiting at Maryland. Thank you for the support ❤️
There was one year under Lovie Smith where the Illini did not sign a single player from the state of Illinois: that's how bad it was. In contrast, Bret Bielema and his staff have made a high priority to establish relationships with every high school football coach in the state.
lol that was his last year in 2020. He tried to say the talent in state didn’t want to come to Illinois. Thank you for the support ❤️
Probably a chance to get drunk for free.
Going to school with Joshua Mccray i knew he was due for some big things to happen to him love to see my guys doing great lets hope he can build on this season
Dope video 💯
@@metrocell1014 dope comment. Thank you for the support ❤️
It's a damn shame I had to watch Wes Lunt attempt to play quarterback in my personal favorite illini uniforms. That fateful November in 07 was when i became a fan at 5 years old. Now im 22 and actually have hope... and expectations for illinois, both basketball and football... what a time to be a fan
@@Flame_0119 u liked those jerseys? And man it’s great to be an Illinois fan right now as we just whooped penn st
Nice work. One correction. Bill Cubit was not hired to be the interim head coach. He was named the interim head coach. He was already on staff, so there was no need to “hire” him.
Ah good catch, thanks for the correction!
Best thing we ever did was hire AD Josh Whitman!
Facts he’s had great hiring as AD
W video as a huge Illinois fan I gotta say a few things:
-Michigan st game in 22 killed me
-went to that Wisconsin game too I think we put up like 93yds total
-shane beamer keep whining
-Michigan game definitely should’ve been on college Gameday
- I-L-L
INI 🟠🔵 thank you for the support ❤️
Love your take. 💯 I-L-L
@@michaelflowers1430 ILL
Make a rise of Illinois basketball please!!
Oh man 😂😂
Go Illini
Let's hope that the upcoming season can replicate 2024.
Yep. Thank you for the support ❤️
great video bro bret doing his thing
Illinois on top
ILL
I went to the university of Wisconsin but I'm from Illinois, and I respect Illinois alot
🧡💙🧡💙🧡
ILL
We love Big B
Yes we do ILL. Hope you subscribe and watch my future content thank you for the support ❤️
ILL!
INI
The head coach is a jerk! That is the manner that the University of Illinois wants to be portrayed.
Who’s your favorite team?
great video
Thanks!
I-L-L
INI
Hoosier fan, I'm a hater ofc but y'all had a great season and I was happy to see Bert stuff Beamer in a trash can. HOWEVER Bielema did my guys dirty when he was at Wisconsin so I hope my Hoosiers are inhospitable when they host y'all next year. Think that could be a top 25 matchup. When is the last time we had one of those in football?
From what I understand, one of the main reasons Bret left Wisconsin was he got tired of losing his top assistant coaches because Wisconsin didn't ever pony up more money to keep them?
@gregoryhelton2408 different media rights deal, different world. Ironically Wisconsin could easily afford him now and I'm sure they wish he was still there. Fickell is struggling and while I think Billy Edwards will help them at QB they also lost a lot to the transfer portal as y'all so kindly helped them to do 😂
A top 25 matchup between Illinois and Indiana would be great. Thank you for the support ❤️
@@gregoryhelton2408 Wisco still has that problem
congrats on phenomenal season. it was refreshing and great for college football. I think that the Big Ten has pretty well forced those who mocked Indiana's selection to STFU.
ILL lets go
keep the videos coming
Good vid
@@matthewpoleski6973 thank you for the support ❤️
@ thank you for making good videos
Not a fan but good for them
Why you dis my boy Wes Lunt like that
@@camdenramsey7655 because I thought he was terrible 😂. Thank you for the support ❤️. I have a Oregon video like this that I made back in November if u want to watch
@@justjalen2700lol I went to school with Hank Beatty and the same as Wes Lunt. Injuries hurt him. Great video tho
@ that’s cool Beatty was a beast at Rochester. Thank you for the great comments ❤️
ILL
I-N-I!!!❤🎉
I'm a united kingdom based NCAA fan and was wondering if you could do a video on why Oklahoma failed to win a natty in the last 2 decades or something along those lines?
Great video! If you ever want to collab let me know!
Thanks, I appreciate it! Maybe we can do a collab one day.
@@LockedOnIllini Sonny is legit( Locked On on the Illini!!)! He does an amazing job covering our Beloved ILLINI!!!
🔸🔹
@@alexkizer639 🟠🔵
I think Tim Beckman was reincarnated as Shane Beamer. Or they are identical twins.
@@fbharris67 😂😂😂😂. Thank you for the support ❤️
@@justjalen2700 The sleeping giant of college football, my beloved Fighting Illini, need more attention. You are providing a much needed service. I graduated decades ago and reside in the National Capital Region. Even with the internet, I am out of the loop concerning Illinois Football. My questions going forward are about who is returning for next year. We know Altmyer is returning, but what about the other key veterans....Gabe Jacas, Dylan Rosiek, Scott and Scott, Matthew Bailey?
@@fbharris67 yeah and bill has the same amount of respect for the game as lane kiffen. Despite this loss Shane has had a winning record with the program so I can’t really complain on what he does or doesn’t do
Y’all won a dirty game. Both sides did some shady stuff but Illinois did what they needed to do to make sure they got on top. This sport got some bush league ass refs.
Nothing we did was dirty
@ delayed/ late substitutions forced Beamer to use a timeout (and a couple were cutting it close). the taunting Brett did happened when a player was injured, with no penalty for it too (pretty sure taunting is a penalty) I know the player was really injured but after the old miss game let’s just say scar fans are a little on edge about fake injuries. Beamer did tell the refs about that kick return with the fake signal, and they thought it was fine I don’t think that was a good ruling. That might have been why there was no roughing the returner on a fair catch call during the first punt of the game. I’m sorry I’m yapping, this whole season has seen some terrible ref performances, and I hate to see it happen again to South Carolina.
Beamer could have prevented Illinois delaying tactics at any time just by not making so many offensive substitutions at the line of scrimmage. Bielema's staff obviously saw this in the game films and decided to counter him. It worked.
lmao
Is this supposed to be a joke?
Joke about what?
It's simple cheat! Cheat in the game. Cheat your fans and cheat your players. But hey at least it makes you look good
@@theAparkable lol cheat how? Thank you for the support ❤️
Someone's favorite college football team must have got SMOKED by the Illini this year huh?!?! Lol 😂
@@justjalen2700 taunting the other team while your player is on the field injured AND not getting a penalty for it (like what happens with so many players). That was nasty and gave credibility to fake injury allegations. I think an argument could be made for a lot of uncalled slow/ late substitutions while on defense. Those alone could have given South Carolina 50+ penalty yards into the red zone.
@gregoryhelton2408 No, they don't cheat the game it's OK to take a timeout after every play by having your subs walk off at a snails pace! They cheat their fans and players because if an NFL scout sees a guy who can run the ball 10 yards, then get right back up and do it again, that is a 4 qtr player! But if he sees a player that gets a 15-yard gain but needs a timeout after, he thinks that player is never going to make it to the nfl. So go on and defend it if you want but I would look at that coach and demand a new one.
cry harder lmao
Trickery & sneaky slime ball crap from your 500 Lbs. coach doesn't win anything big.
Your girl isn't coaching at Illinois bro. 😂
@@gregoryhelton2408 😂😂😂😂
everything we did was in the rules lol
The wife of that 500lb coach is probably a lot hotter than you.
The stench of Lovie Smith is gone, praise Jesus Christ.
😂😂😂 thank you for the support ❤️
ILL
@@Matthew-vt5dt INI
ILL
INI. Thank you for the support ❤️
ILL
INI
ILL
INI
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INI
W thumbnail btw
@ thank you that’s my best friend steezodsgn work. U can find him on ig and twitter under that name