CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois wide receiver Zakhari Franklin has been named to the 2024 watch list for Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award on Wednesday by the Tyler (Texas) Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler.

EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD​

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals. In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: played football at and graduated from a Texas high school and/or currently playing at Texas D1 four-year college.

• Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award website
• Last three winners:
  • 2023: Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
  • 2022: Max Duggan, QB, TCU
  • 2021: Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky

ZAKHARI FRANKLIN​

• Transferred to Illinois in the summer of 2024 with one year of eligibility remaining
• Enters the season as the NCAA's active career leader in receptions (266), receiving yards (3,386), and receiving touchdowns (38)
• Played in only four games as a senior in 2023 at Ole Miss
• Recorded four catches for 38 yards with one touchdown for the Rebels
• Four-year starter at UTSA (2019-22), appearing in 46 career games for the Roadrunners
• 2022 Phil Steele All-America honorable mention and three-time All-Conference USA selection (2020, 2021, 2022) for the Roadrunners
• Left UTSA as the program's single-season and career record holder for receptions, total receiving yards, receiving yards per game, 100-yard games, and receiving touchdowns
• Ranks 21st all-time in FBS history with 38 career receiving touchdowns, 12 more than any other active NCAA player entering the 2024 season

ILLINI ON WATCH LISTS (AS OF AUGUST 21)​

• Pat Bryant - Senior Bowl
• Seth Coleman - Senior Bowl
• J.C. Davis - Senior Bowl
• Kaden Feagin – Doak Walker
• Zakhari Franklin – Comeback, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose
• Gabe Jacas - Senior Bowl
• Josh Kreutz – Polynesian POY
• Josh McCray – Doak Walker, Comeback
• Kenenna Odeluga – Wuerffel
• Dylan Rosiek – Butkus
• Cole Rusk – John Mackey

Underwood discusses the newly released non-conference schedule, summer workouts, and more.

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Is this for real?
Arkansas in Kansas City on CBS Thanksgiving Day.

What are your expectations for the Bears?

They seem like a playoff contender to me,

Boswell
KJ
Will Riley
Ty
Ivisic

I could that spreading the floor and allowing Ty to operate as well.

CHASKA, MINN. – Fighting Illini men's golf rising senior Jackson Buchanan, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, is headed to the semifinals at the 124th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club as one of the final four competitors vying for the prestigious Havemeyer Trophy.

Buchanan, who entered the week as the No. 17 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), will now face Noah Kent, a rising sophomore at Big Ten foe Iowa. The winner will advance to Sunday's championship match where they will go head-to-head with either Jose Luis Ballester, a rising senior at Arizona State, or Luis Masaveu of Spain.

Buchanan's tee time for Saturday's semifinal is set for 1 p.m. CT. Live scoring is available on the USGA website. Golf Channel live coverage of the semifinal matches begins at 2 p.m. CT.

BUCHANAN'S PATH TO THE FINAL FOUR​

STROKE PLAY: Playing in his second consecutive U.S. Amateur, Buchanan was one of three Fighting Illini to make the stroke play field of 312 players – along with teammates Max Herendeen and Ryan Voois. After carding a two-round tally of 1-under 141 (72-69), Buchanan finished T32 in stroke play and entered the 64-player match play bracket as the No. 53 seed.

ROUND OF 64: Buchanan's path to the weekend as been the most difficult in the field. In the Round of 64, he outlasted former WAGR No. 6-ranked Preston Summerhays, 2UP. Buchanan faced a 2-hole deficit through 13 before claiming victories on 14, 15, 16 and 18 to advance in thrilling fashion.

ROUND OF 32: Following his win over Summerhays, Buchanan then downed the WAGR No. 1-ranked player, Luke Clanton, 1UP, with yet another thrilling finish. After taking a 2-hole lead through No. 7, Buchanan dropped three holes over the next seven to fall behind by one hole after 14. However, he rallied with wins on Nos. 15 and 16, and matched Clanton's par finishes on 17 and 18 to advance.

ROUND OF 16: Like his first two matches, Buchanan's Sweet 16 win over Tyler Mawhinney went the distance before he secured the victory, 1UP. After exchanging blows on Nos. 1 and 2, they remained deadlocked through eight holes when momentum swung in Buchanan's favor for wins on Nos. 9 and 10. Mawhinney answered, however, with wins on 11 and 12, then took one-hole advantage late with a win on No. 16. Buchanan rallied again, however, with victories on the 17th and 18th holes.

QUARTERFINAL: Buchanan seized control early in his Elite 8 win over Jacob Modleski, beginning with a win on the first hole. He led 2UP after No. 7 and put the match out of reach with three wins on Nos. 11, 12, and 14 to offset a setback on 13. Par finishes by both competitors on No. 15 gave Buchanan the win, 4&3.

Jackson Buchanan is playing in the quarterfinals this afternoon. He beat World No. 1 Luke Clanton in the round of 32.
In the Round of 16, he was one down with two to play and birdied 17 and 18 to win 1 Up.


I believe it is televised on Peacock.
Go Illini!

New coach Macdonald is challenging Witherspoon to become even better than last year’s auspicious start.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Aug. 16, 2024) – A Thanksgiving Day men’s college basketball showdown comes to the City of Fountains when Arkansas battles Illinois. The game, emanating from T-Mobile Center on Thursday, Nov. 28, will be broadcast live at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

Arkansas enters the new season with high expectations as Hall of Famer John Calipari takes over in Fayetteville. Calipari, men’s college basketball’s winningest active head coach with 855 victories, has brought his magical touch to the Razorbacks by signing three Top-50 players in the incoming freshmen class and one of the nation’s top transfer classes led by Johnell Davis (guided Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023) and three former Kentucky standout players in D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivišić.

“What a great opportunity CBS is giving Arkansas and Illinois. Thanksgiving is a day that gets all of America – whether you are a sports fan or not – watching sports on TV,” Calipari said. “Playing in this time slot will provide tremendous exposure for both programs. Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center is a premier arena that is located close enough that both fan bases can attend. We have a great deal of respect for Coach Underwood and his Illinois program, and we know this game will be one the whole nation will be interested in seeing.”

Illinois is experiencing a similar reloading of its roster after last season’s run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. The Fighting Illini added Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Tre White (Louisville) and Carey Booth (Notre Dame) from the transfer portal and a freshman class that is headlined by two Top-30 players in Will Riley and Morez Johnson. The Illini’s freshman class also includes 7-1 Tomislav Ivišić, brother to Arkansas’ Zvonimir Ivišić.

“We are thrilled for this opportunity. Playing in Kansas City – a tremendous basketball city that is near and dear to me – and taking on a great opponent in Arkansas, led by a Hall of Fame Coach in Coach Calipari, is a big test for our team,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “It is an honor for Illinois Basketball to play on CBS on Thanksgiving Day; we know the sports world will be watching.”

Tickets for the game go on public sale on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. CT at AXS.com and on the AXS app. Complete event information can be found atwww.thanksgivinghoopsshowcase.com and on social media at @bdGlobalSports.com.

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Exactly 100 years after Red Grange's historic performance in the Memorial Stadium Dedication Game against Michigan on Oct. 18, 1924, the University of Illinois will host its Memorial Stadium Rededication the evening of Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. One day later, Illinois will face off against that same opponent, Michigan, for the Memorial Stadium Rededication Game on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Illinois' rededication ceremony will be free and open to the public inside Grange Grove at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 18. The ceremony will feature a program that honors the many uses of Memorial Stadium over the last century and an unveiling of new historic features around the stadium.

A 100th-anniversary gala will be hosted inside the Colonnades Club inside Memorial Stadium at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Oct. 18.The event will feature some of the greatest players to wear the Illinois uniform sharing stories and reliving memories of the past 100 years. Invitations to purchase tickets will be sent to I FUND members and VIPs.

Illinois will wear 1920s-themed throwback uniforms against Michigan on Saturday, which include hand-painted helmets to look like the leather-style helmets worn during the early years of football at Memorial Stadium. The Illini uniforms will pay tribute to the same design worn during the 1924 Illinois-Michigan game, including a blue base and vertical stripes down the middle of the jersey.

A pregame ceremony will feature a special game ball presentation that involves generations of Illinois football alumni, and festivities will continue throughout the contest. The Marching Illini will perform a special halftime performance, and fans can expect a special Spirit of the Illini presentation during the trademark 3-in-1.

Historical videos and in-stadium displays will be used all season long at Memorial Stadium, while the Illini will wear each of its three other throwback helmets once during select home games across the 2024 season. Those helmet designs have already been announced: a four-star design worn from 1962-68 during Dick Butkus' time at Illinois, at the 1964 Rose Bowl, and by the 1963 Big Ten-winning Illini team; the arched Illini design worn from 1971-87 that was used during the 1984 Rose Bowl; and an underlined Illinois design worn from 1989-2012, during which the Illini won two Big Ten titles and played at the 2002 Sugar Bowl and 2008 Rose Bowl.

——

About Grange's Legendary Performance in the 1924 Dedication Game

On Oct. 18, 1924, Red Grange put together one of the greatest performances the college football world has ever seen. On the day of Memorial Stadium's Dedication Game and against a Michigan team that arrived in Champaign on a 20-game unbeaten streak, Grange glided through the Wolverine defense with ease. He set the tone early with a 95-yard return on the opening kickoff, and he was only just getting started.

Five minutes later, he recorded his second score of the game, this time on a 67-yard rush. Within the opening 12 minutes of play, he amassed four touchdowns, and he finished the contest with six total scores and over 400 total yards of offense.

The Wolverines allowed only 32 points during their 20-game unbeaten run. In the Illini's 39-14 win over Michigan, Red Grange accounted for 36 points on his own.

Earning the now-iconic "Galloping Ghost" nickname following a performance that remains unrivaled one century later, Grange cemented himself in college football history forever.

"Michigan never knew Red Grange, the Illinois wildcat, until today. Now Michigan knows him well," wrote James Crusinberry of the Chicago Tribune in 1924. "He stamped himself as one of the greatest football stars of all time, East or West."

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini football program named six captains for the 2024 football season: Tanner Arkin, Pat Bryant, Seth Coleman, Josh Kreutz, Dylan Rosiek, and Miles Scott. The six captains were determined by a team vote.

TE Tanner Arkin
Arkin, a junior from Fort Collins, Colorado, enters his second season with the Fighting Illini after transferring from Colorado State. In Year 1 with the Orange and Blue, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound tight end played in all 12 games and made three starts. He tallied one touchdown reception on the season, the first of his collegiate career, vs. Wisconsin.

WR Pat Bryant
Bryant, a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Phil Steele (third team) and Athlon (fourth team), returns as one of the most dangerous red zone threats in the league. A native of Jacksonville, Florida., the senior recorded catches in all 12 games for the Illini in 2023, including seven touchdown receptions, the ninth-best single-season mark in program history and the No. 4 mark in the Big Ten last year.

OLB Seth Coleman
A two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention selection and preseason all-conference honoree by both Phil Steele (third team) and Athlon (third team), Coleman returns for his sixth season as an Illini in 2024. The Melbourne, Florida, product ranks as one of the most productive edge rushers in the nation, having posted more 130 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 20.5 tackles for loss during his career with the Orange and Blue. Last year, Coleman recorded six sacks against Big Ten opponents, the second-best total in the conference.

OL Josh Kreutz
Kreutz anchors the Fighting Illini offensive line, returning for his second season as the team's starting center in 2024. The Bannockburn, Illinois, native boasts 28 games played entering his junior season, including starts in all 12 contests for the Illini last year en route to an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection. He has been tabbed as a fourth-team preseason All-Conference performer by Athlon Sports.

LB Dylan Rosiek
Rosiek, a 2024 Dick Butkus Award preseason watch list honoree as one of the nation's top linebackers, is back roaming the middle of the Fighting Illini defense after a breakout sophomore campaign in 2023 in which he garnered All-Big Ten honorable mention status. He played in all 12 games with eight start last season and ranked 14th in the Big Ten with a team-leading 82 total tackles. Rosiek led the Big Ten and ranked third nationally with four forced fumbles on the year, the fourth-most in a season in Illinois history.

DB Miles Scott
Scott made an immediate impact in the Illini secondary, starting all 12 games at safety after switching positions from wide receiver prior to the 2023 campaign. The Dolton, Ill., product is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has been tabbed as a 2024 Preseason All-Big Ten (fourth team) selection by Athlon after ranking second on the team with 64 tackles, while adding three breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery last year. Scott returned both of his picks for Illini touchdowns, notching a 48-yarder in his defensive debut in last year's opening win over Toledo, and closing the season with a 55-yard pick six vs. Northwestern.

Barry Lunney mentioned in his presser yesterday that Josh Kreutz is out for two weeks. If that was mentioned on this board I missed it. Have any additional details been given?