Per Bret Bielema today, transfer DL Anthony Johnson has left the program. He was considered a big get in the portal.

What you got? And what spots will be filled by more transfers?

PG - Kylan Boswell | Niccolo Moretti

SG - Sencire Harris | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

SF - Ty Rodgers | Tre White | Jake Davis

PF - Luke Goode | Amani Hansberry

C - Morez Johnson | Jason Jakstys

* Will add / subtract as I hear more info.

Orlando Antigua - Kentucky

Adam Cohen - Xavier

Nolan Smith - Louisville

Erik Pastrana - Georgia

Matt Figger - UT Rio Grande Valley

Rod Clark - Tennessee

Not official but he’s likely leaving for a job a West Virginia.

Can we get a rim protector and post scorer? Get job in the portal so far!!

Mr. Basketball in Illinois! Awesome news!!

Per his X account, he has officially committed!

80,000 + fans attend Spring football.

Ohio Status !

I was at Pennsy State when Matt was at Squan with 60,000 !

Will we break 10,000 ?

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Starting this early. There’s going to be a lot of turnover when the season ends.

Chris Holtman is already gone. Ohio State can write a blank check so it should be a big name.

DePaul is looking for a coach after firing Tony Stubblefield.

Will Villanova or Texas make quick changes? Kyle Neptune is 31-28 at Nova. Texas has crumbled with a pretty strong roster.

I think there will be some high profile guys retire. Dana Altman and Tom Izzo are two that wouldn’t shock me.

Coaches on the hot seat include…

Juwan Howard, Michigan
Mike Woodson, Indiana
Kenny Payne, Louisville
Mike Boynton, Oklahoma St.
Jerry Stackhouse, Vandy
Mike Hopkins, Washington

Right now, there are 6 returning players. Could get down to 4, IMO.

Ty Rodgers
Luke Goode
Sencire Harris
Nicolo Moretti
Amani Hansberry
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

* There had to be a hard sell to some assistants on Jake Davis, but I think everyone is good with it now considering what his role is expected to be.

* The price was also right for Davis. It frees them up to chase a couple of big fish. Around $3m from ICON to start, and possibly more in the pipeline.

* Illinois wants to add size up front, a primary ball handler, and stud wing scorer - not necessarily in that order.

* The waiver request for Domask is in, but no timeline on approval / disapproval. That complicates things in terms of managing the NIL $

* I know some like Moretti, but I don't seem him ever being a starter at this level. He gets overwhelmed from a physical standpoint.

* I'd like to see Hansberry cut some weight and work more on his perimeter skills. He has already improved a lot. Not a great athlete, but long arms and tenacity make up for it some.

* They need shooting, especially if you're still expecting Rodgers to be a starter. Can't take a transfer guard / wing who can't shoot 3's.

Additions are:

Jake Davis
Morez Johnson
Jason Jakstys
Jase Butler

* They would like to redshirt Jakstys, so they need a 5 in the portal

* Johnson is likely to start at the 4 or 5

* Butler is good enough to start, IMO, but you don't want to hand him the keys right away. Veteran point guard or combo-guard is a must.

* Davis is instant offense / shooting off the bench. Needs to improve his defense.

Questions?

Illinois is in the top 5 for this kid. I don't think he's a priority for Penn State, so they have a good shot.

However, it looks like we will play them either at Soldier Field or Wrigley Field.

Illinois was back out on the practice field early Tuesday morning. The practice was open to the media for the first four periods, which included individual / position drills and some special teams.

Offense notes:

- Gambling State transfer Melvin Priestly has established himself at right tackle. He's not a prototypical tackle at at around 6-foot-4, but he's probably the best athlete on the offensive line. Really bouncy, excellent feet and lateral quickness, and I love how to turns speed to power. We need to see him in a scrimmage situation to be sure, but Priestly looks like a steal from the portal.

- The starting wide receivers are Pat Bryant and Malik Elzy on the outside, and Kenari Wilcher in the slot. Ashton Hollins and Hank Beatty will also be in the rotation. This might be a position where Illinois will want to look to the portal to add some legitimate speed.

- The only two fully healthy scholarship running backs are Josh McCray and Aidan Laughery. Kaden Feagin (shoulder) is being held out. Jordan Anderson (knee) is limited, no contact, and going through a few drills.

Defense notes:

- I continue to be impressed by JUCO transfers Daniel Brown. As expected, he's working at WLB now and he should battle Kenenna Odeluga to start alongside MLB Dylan Rosiek. Great bursts of speed from Brown.

- Two second-year defensive linemen appear to have taken a leap forward. Alex Bray is very quick and is now around 280 pounds. Jeremiah Warren has changed his body and is playing with confidence. Both should be in the rotation.

- Ezekiel Holmes continues to rep with the interior defensive linemen. He is listed as an OLB.

- Zachary Tobe and Jaheim Clark are two underclassmen who I like at cornerback. Their athleticism stands out in the group and they were in the front group in all of the position drills. Tobe played last year and is ahead of Clark in terms of physicality, but both can move.

- Freshman CB Vernon Woodward is really physical. I can see him seeing the field early and possibly playing some nickel.

- Former JUCO transfer Kaleb Patterson is having a good spring. He has a chance to start at the boundary corner position.

Special teams notes:

Punt returners are Hank Beatty and Kenari Wilcher

Sophomore kicker David Olano looks much more consistent. He was money from 45 yards and closer with kicks splitting the uprights. Talented kid, and he's really striking the ball well.

Misc.

The transfer portal window opens next Tuesday April 16 and runs through the end of the month. I would expect attrition. So far, TE Owen Anderson and OL Joey Okla have announced plans to transfer. Illinois should have a few open rides to add players at positions of need.

Breaking the cycle

When you build through the portal every offseason, you can get caught in a viscous cycle of one-year fixes with a season riding on how things fall during the portal window.

Illinois was a senior laden team, bringing in three one-year transfer last year in Marcus Domask, Quincy Guerrier, and Justin Harmon. It worked. Illinois had a great season. But Brad Underwood finds himself right back in roster construction mode.

To avoid the cycle of massive rebuilds, Illinois has focused heavily on transfers with multiple years of eligibility remaining. It’s a solid strategy that will upgrade the roster while allowing for continuity and player development.

Jake Davis - Mercer. 3 years. (Committed)
Tre White – Louisville. 3 years (Committed)
Kylan Boswell – Arizona. 2 years
Carey Booth – Notre Dame. 3 years.
Danny Wolf – Yale. 2 years.
Brandon Garrison – Oklahoma State. 3 years.

Illinois is obviously also recruiting one-year players, but those extra years of eligibility are a major factor in how they are prioritizing the list.

General management

It’s easy to see why some athletic departments are hiring general managers in the age of NIL and the Transfer Portal. The new reality means college basketball programs are operating much like NBA front offices. They have to balance team needs with available resources.

Coaches face a behind the scenes dilemma. The old norms of recruiting are fading. Relationship building, player development, and culture cultivation are not much more than press conference material. Major college coaches are paid to win, and down years to rebuild are not part of the equation.

So, if a player that an assistant coach invested a lot of time and resources on doesn’t develop as expect once he’s part of the program, hard choices must be made. It’s up to the head coach to make them.

Do they invest NIL money to retain a current player who hasn’t developed as expected and hope he’s a late bloomer? Or do they spend an equal amount – and sometimes less – on a transfer who may already have the skill set that they're looking for?

Losing players is unpopular with the fanbase. They build relationships with players, purchase their jerseys, and make them part of the family. But losing games is pretty unpopular too, and this is the brave new world of college sports that people say they wanted and that players were entitled to. The athletes just need to understand that the portal + NIL, a system that they wanted, works in both directions.

Along these lines, Illinois will have to decide how far to carry out negotiations for Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr, one of the big fish in the portal and a guy that Illinois would love to have. Part of those negotiations – and not just with Illinois – has been for the Storr camp to inflate offers that are supposedly on the table. A GM would come in handy to interject some reality.

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Another name to know

Besides the names that continue to pop up on everyone’s Illinois portal hot boards, there are some good players out there who would fill a need that aren’t necessarily the sexy choices.

We know who the backcourt targets are by this point. Illinois is going hard after Boswell, former Toledo guard Dante Maddox Jr, and Wisconsin star wing AJ Storr. It gets more complicated for front court transfers, with a growing list of potential targets.

One transfer who we love and who would fill multiple needs is former Charlotte power forward Igor Militic Jr. The 6-foot-10 junior averaged 12.8 points and pulled down 8.5 rebounds per game this season.

Militic has a similar skill set to Coleman Hawkins but is stronger and able to hold his position in the post. He was No. 11 in the AAC in defensive rating and No. 13 in block rate. He went 56-for-149 (.376) from 3.

Illinois kept its pursuit of Tre White under wraps up until his commitment was imminent. Militic may be another recruitment that’s on the downlow.

Notable

Boswell, Maddox, and Booth are all visiting in the next several days. Illinois has a good shot at all of them. Boswell is rumored to be locked up. Louisville appears to be the main competition for Maddox, and it could be another bidding war. Booth is more of an unknown in terms of handicapping his recruitment, but Illinois loves his upside and youth.

A few of the early names on the Illini radar may no longer be options. The Illini chose to pursue Maddox over Bowling Green transfer Marcus Hill, who is less of a lead guard and not a great long range shooter. Otega Oweh, a 6-foot-5 wing from Oklahoma, isn’t likely to wait for the Illini’s pursuit of Storr to play out. FAU transfer guard Johnell Davis comes at too big of a price.

O.J. Simpson passed at age 76. I never wish anyone dead. But he comes pretty close to someone I might.

I hope not