Some of the visitors for Saturday vs. Toledo.

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Unless the Bears find a waiver wire pickup or make a trade. Undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent looks like he’s won the backup QB job as the Bears cut Walker and Peterman. One of the boldest moves I’ve seen in a long time with how tough the NFL is on QBs. After having watched nearly every minute of all 3 preseason games I have to say I’m extremely please that the Bears are keeping Bagent on the roster. He just has an awareness of what’s happening around him and the presence to make plays that I don’t see out of Justin Fields. Now if he had Fields physical attributes and experience the Bears would have something outstanding.

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Three Fighting Illini men's golfers were recognized by the Big Ten on Tuesday (Aug. 29) when junior Jackson Buchanan, senior Piercen Hunt, and fifth-year senior Jerry Ji were named to the conference's 2023-24 Preseason Honors list.

The trio returns to Fighting Illini after helping the team to a conference-record eighth consecutive Big Ten Championship, the 13th of the last 14 overall, and the program's 14th match-play berth at the 2023 NCAA Championship.

Buchanan had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2022-23, earning unanimous All-Big Ten first-team honors to go along with GCAA All-Midwest Region and PING All-America second-team accolades. The Dacula, Ga., native closed his season in spectacular fashion at the NCAA Championship where he finished second during stroke play with a 72-hole tally of 274 (-6), one stroke behind individual national champion Fred Biondi of Florida. His runner-up finish ranks as the third-best individual NCAA Championship finish in program history, behind only Scott Langley and Thomas Pieters who won individual national titles in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The finish at Grayhawk also secured his status as an NCAA All-American, awarded to the top 15 finishers. Buchanan played in all 13 events for the Illini and ranked third on the team with a stroke average of 70.92, almost two full strokes better than his previous season-best of 72.84 set as a freshman. He recorded 10 top-25 finishes with five top 5s, including his first-career victory at the Tiger Collegiate Invitational (April 10-11) in which he shot 66-62-66 to set a program-record score of 194 (-22). His Round 2 score of 62 (-10) also broke the program record for a single-round score, and the Illini closed the event with the program record for a 54-hole team tally. Buchanan recorded 23 of 39 rounds at par or better, while carding 14 rounds in the 60s, both of which also ranked third on the team behind first team All-Americans Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Tommy Kuhl. Most recently, Buchanan tied for first in stroke play at the U.S. Amateur to advance to match play as the No. 2 seed.

Hunt, from Hartland, Wis., enters his senior season after earning back-to-back GCAA All-Midwest Region and second team All-Big Ten accolades as a sophomore and junior in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Last year, he ranked fifth on the team with a season stroke average of 72.17 over 36 rounds, competing in 12 of 13 events for the Illini. Hunt added two top-10 finishes last year to bring his career total for the Orange and Blue to nine, highlighted by his victory at the 2021 Isleworth Collegiate. One of Hunt's top-10 efforts last season was a fifth-place finish at the Tiger Collegiate Invitational where he carded a career-low 64 (-8) in Round 2 and posted the best 54-hole tally of his collegiate career with a 202 (-14). Hunt tied for 13th at the 2023 Big Ten Championship, and placed 18th at the NCAA Bath Regional to help Illinois return to the NCAA Championship. This summer he qualified for his third consecutive U.S. Amateur and broke through with a fourth-place finish in stroke play to advance to match play of the prestigious event for the first time.

Ji, who hails from Hoofddorp, Netherlands, enters the 2023-24 season looking for a return to the Fighting Illini lineup after competing as a mainstay in the team's top five over his first three seasons from 2019-20 through 2021-22. Last year he competed in 15 rounds over five events, all as an individual competitor, and posted a season-best finish of 25th at the Hal Williams Collegiate in mid-February. For his career, Ji has carded 100 rounds in Orange and Blue, the most on the team, and boasts a career stroke average of 72.52. He is a two-time GCAA All-Midwest Region selection and earned first team All-Big Ten honors in 2020-21 and second team all-conference in 2019-20, the same year he was tabbed as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

The Illini open the 2023-24 schedule Sept. 9-10 at the Sahalee Players Championship in Sammamish, Wash, before returning to Illinois to host the OFCC Fighting Illini Invitational at famed Olympia Fields Country Club, Sept. 15-17..

Volleyball news + video. Illini in the NFL.

https://illinois.rivals.com/news/fighting-illini-today-volleyball-to-open-season-more

Doug, John, and Rivals.com national analyst Clinton Cosgrove preview the Illinois season opener against Toledo

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Per Bielema today..

LB Malachi Hood tore his Achilles and had surgery.

RB Jordan Anderson suffered a torn ACL.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) announced Thursday that ICON Collective (ICON) will become the sole preferred third-party entity supporting Fighting Illini student-athletes in their name, image and likeness (NIL) endeavors. Illini Guardians, meanwhile, intends to wind down operations. ICON previously worked alongside Illini Guardians, as both groups facilitated community-focused NIL activities exclusively for Fighting Illini student-athletes.

"NIL support remains tremendously important to an enriching student-athlete experience and to our success as a program. We are grateful for the time and effort given by Illini Guardians during these first years of the NIL era. Their initiative at the outset was key to our emergence as an early leader on the NIL front. Now, DIA is excited to support ICON as it expands its breadth of operations and capabilities to further enhance opportunities for Illinois student-athletes in this space," stated Director of Athletics Josh Whitman.

ICON is led by Kathleen Knight, President and CEO, and Jackie Szymoniak, Chief Operating Officer. Longtime affiliates of the university, both Knight and Szymoniak spent years working inside DIA in various capacities. The duo has operated ICON on a full-time basis since late 2022, working closely with key stakeholders to serve the interests of Fighting Illini student-athletes.

"As a former Illinois student-athlete, I am most excited about promoting positive experiences for young people and connecting them with our community to accelerate the university's success," said Knight, a four-year letterwinner as a member of the women's swimming team. "I have spent the bulk of my professional career focused on building relationships within the Fighting Illini community, and I am confident that we are well-situated based on the strength and commitment of our people."

Today, ICON launched a new membership program, "ICON for Illini," to generate additional financial resources to support NIL opportunities for Illini student-athletes in exchange for donors having access to a unique set of benefits and experiences. Supporters will have the option to choose from six different giving levels, with benefits increasing in value and exclusivity commensurate with the amount of their engagement. Contributions made at the Red Grange level and above will be able to be directed to any one of the 21 varsity sports.

ICON Collective, the non-profit, pending 501(c)(3) entity, will continue operating to support its exclusive charitable and educational mission through partnerships with local community service organizations. ICON Collective and ICON for Illini will act as complements to one another, broadening the scope and scale of NIL opportunities available to Fighting Illini student-athletes.

Supporters are encouraged to visit iconforillini.com/become-an-icon to review the new membership structure and benefits and sign up for the level that best suits their interests. For anyone with questions about ICON Collective, ICON for Illini, or general NIL-related inquiries, please feel free to reach out to ADMIN@ILL-ICON.com.

Illini Guardians, the initial entity formed to facilitate NIL activity for Fighting Illini student-athletes, plans to wind down its operations in the near term. Emerging in response to the seismic legal and policy changes that created the NIL framework in 2021, Illini Guardians has successfully operated on a volunteer basis for nearly two years. During that time, the group worked with hundreds of Illinois student-athletes across all 21 varsity sports. Illini Guardians will end its subscription service and redirect its resources and support to ICON in furtherance of their shared mission.

"The most important aspects of this journey will continue," said Adam Fleischer, Co-Founder of Illini Guardians. "We are Illinois alums, so our goal has always been to support the university however we can. This was an exciting, important endeavor for all of us, and we are happy for ICON to take the baton and continue moving forward."

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General Major League Baseball thread.

I posted some stuff in the recruiting thread but I wanted to make sure you guys got this news.

The visit originally scheduled for September 16 is postponed to a later date. Fears is going to a Nike event in NYC that weekend. No new date fir the visit yet.

As I posted in the other thread, he’s 50/50 on reclassifying to 2024.

I’m on the road for a football game today. I’ll have the Fears story tomorrow

DEKALB, Ill. – Illinois volleyball began its season with a victory against Northern Illinois at the Convocation Center on Saturday evening.

The Fighting Illini improved to 1-0 this season while NIU dropped to 0-2 in 2023.

Illinois posted 54 kills with a .280 hitting percentage during the triumph over the Huskies. Raina Terry led the way offensively for the Illini, tallying 19 kills to start her senior campaign. Defensively, Kennedy Collins boasted six blocks during the four-set match. Lily Barry logged 27 digs during her collegiate debut, and the libero paced the Orange and Blue with three aces.

How it happened

Illinois opened the match in a back-and-forth battle with the Fighting Illini leading, 15-13, at the media break. After a four-point rally by the Huskies left Illinois trailing, 21-19, the Orange and Blue called their final timeout of the set. Despite holding the Huskies to a .125 hitting clip, the Illini dropped the opening set, 25-22.

Looking to rebound in the following frame, five-straight points for the Orange and Blue with Barry behind the service line gave the team the 14-11 edge. The Illini continued to build on their advantage with Sarah Bingham's kill putting Illinois ahead 22-16. A block from Collins and Terry sealed the 25-19 victory in the second set.

With the match even at one-set apiece, the Fighting Illini maintained momentum, holding a 15-11 lead at the media timeout. The team continued to cruise, with a Collins kill putting Illinois ahead, 18-12. Despite a late rally by Northern Illinois while the Orange and Blue held set point, the Illini took the third set, 25-22.

The Fighting Illini came out flat in the fourth set, trailing 6-1 early before a kill by Terry snapped the run. Playing from behind, Bianca May held steady behind the service line, helping the Fighting Illini take a 14-13 lead with a 7-0 run. Keeping the set tight, four-straight points including an ace from Barry gave Illinois the late 23-20 edge. Collins completed the victory with a kill out of the middle, sealing the four-set win.

Notes
- Starters: Brooke Mosher, Raina Terry, Sarah Bingham, Kennedy Collins, Vanessa Pan, Cari Bohm and Lily Barry
- The Illini wore long sleeved navy jerseys for the first time this season.
- The Illinois volleyball program moved to 18-3-1 against NIU all time.
- Terry tallied an ace during the match, bringing her career total to 129.
- For a seventh-straight season, Illinois won its first road match of the year.
- Saturday's match marked Barry and Bohm's first official start for the Orange and Blue.
- Bianca May also made her first career appearance in the match.
- Attendance Saturday evening was called at 1,468.

I'll try to keep you abreast of the top performers.

Friday

Eddie Tuerk. Lyons @ Prospect
Tyseon Grifin. Morgan Park @ Richards
Cal'Lil Valentine. Chandler, AZ @ Cesar Chavez
Trey Petty. Starkville, MS vs. Moxubeen County
Caleb Pyfrom. Omaha (NE) Central @ Omaha Northwest
Demetrius Johns. Dublin (Ohio) Coffman vs. Centerville
Carlos Orr. Gatlinburg (Tenn.) Pittman vs. Cocke County
Vernon Woodard. Winter Park (Fla.) @ Lake Nona
Josaiah Knight. Gadsden County (Havana, Fla.) @ Loundes
Brandon Hansen. Mundelein vs. Crete Monee
Angelo McCullom. Pickerington (Ohio) North vs. Pine Richland
Easton Baker. Stansbury (UT) @ Ridgeline
Amar Reynolds. Vero Beach (Fla.) vs. Northwestern
Joe Barna. Wheaton North @ Downers Grove South
Chase Green. Largo (Fla.) @ Pinellas Park
Tanner Hollinger. Cross County (Stomburgh, NE) vs. Sutton

Saturday

Zafir Stewart IMOTEP (Philadelphia) vs. Life Christian
Karsen Konkell. Pinckneyville vs. Redbud

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced today it will debut a gameday student-athlete availability report for all football competition during the 2023 season. In addition to the conference-wide reporting, the Big Ten has partnered with U.S. Integrity (USI) to enhance monitoring efforts and provide additional educational resources to help prevent student-athletes, coaches, and staff from engaging in prohibited sports wagering.

“The well-being of our students, coaches, and staff, as well as the integrity of our competitions are of paramount importance,” said Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “Enhanced transparency through availability reporting and partnering with U.S. Integrity strengthens our efforts to protect those who participate in our games as well as the integrity of the games themselves. I’m grateful for the collaboration of our schools, coaches, and administrators.”

Big Ten institutions are responsible for submitting gameday availability reports prior to every contest this season. Information will be submitted by schools no later than two hours before scheduled kickoff times to the conference office and distributed on BigTen.org/FBReports and @B1GFootball on X (née Twitter). Breach of the gameday reporting policy will be subject to disciplinary action under the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy.

The Big Ten, in collaboration with all 14 institutions, will work to evaluate the process and accuracy of information throughout the season, refining the protocol as needed.

USI will provide integrity monitoring, educational, and social media monitoring services to the Big Ten Conference via its proprietary dashboard. USI conducts analysis across dozens of data sets to proactively identify irregular contest-level, officiating and wagering patterns.

About U.S. Integrity

U.S. Integrity is a leading technology-driven sports wagering monitoring company, providing the highest level of protection against betting-related fraud and corruption. USI’s mission is to grow the legal, regulated sports betting market by providing solutions that ensure sports betting integrity in every play, every game, every sport. USI partners with a number of the largest professional sports leagues and collegiate conferences in the U.S., as well as licensed sports-betting operators and regulators. USI is based in Las Vegas and New York.

Tickets On Sale Now for Maui Strong Relief Matchup

Illinois Premium and Season Ticket Holders Can Order Through Sept. 15

Sign In to Order Tickets

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illinois is set to face Kansas in the Maui Strong Relief Matchup, a men's basketball charity exhibition game unveiled by the programs last week. The event is set for 5 p.m. CT on Oct. 29 at State Farm Center and will be televised on BTN. All proceeds raised from this game will be donated to the Hawai'i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, providing financial resources to the relief efforts from the devastating Maui wildfires.

Tickets for this event are on sale now, exclusively to Illinois season ticket holders. Season ticket holders should sign in to their Fighting Illini account to place their order. Ticket orders will be accepted through Sept. 15.

If tickets remain following this season ticket holder ordering period, a public on-sale date will be announced.

Ticket Prices
100 Level – $175
200 Level – $85
Suite – $7,500
Courtside – $750
Loge – $300
Traditions Club – $250

Ticket Details
• All tickets for this game are digital and will be issued via email.

• While this game is not part of the Illinois season ticket package, current UI premium and season ticket holders, including mobile pass holders, are being provided an exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets for this game, with an order deadline of Sept. 15.

• Premium ticket holders in the Suites, Courtside, Loge, and Traditions Club areas can purchase the exact same seats that they have for the season.

• Season ticket holders with ADA accessible seats also can purchase their same seats.

• Legacy Club, and all other season ticket holders, including mobile pass, can purchase the same quantity of tickets they have on a season basis. Seat locations for these ticket holders will be allocated based on I FUND annual giving levels and priority points.

• Due to the unique aspect of this charity partnership, KU will receive a larger allotment of tickets than what is traditionally provided to a visiting team. Therefore, Legacy Club and all other non-premium season ticket holders cannot be guaranteed their regular seat for this game.

• UI student season tickets holders will have this game included in their season ticket package.

Parking
• With this game not part of the Illinois season ticket package, parking will be offered as a $25 add-on purchase when customers place their ticket order. Parking lot locations will be assigned based on I FUND membership levels and priority points, with the aim of accommodating as many donors within their regular lot as possible.

Additional Donation
• During the ordering process, fans will have the opportunity to add a donation on top of the ticket price to benefit the Hawai'i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund (please note, any additional donation would not affect seat allocation priority process).

I'm pretty much just showing up for football right now as a fan. Here are my thoughts going into the season:

1. Coaches make a huge difference in college football. I think we have a good staff with potential to replace RW on the defensive side. Our secondary and defensive coaching was a huge strength last season and if we regress we will feel it.
2. Tommy D was very reliable last year and rarely hurt us. The passing game was fairly anemic though as we didn't have much at WR outside of the slot. I'm curious to see how Luke A does with BL coaching, as I think BL was a big part of the success and if we have a guy with 3 years of eligibility as our starter then that is going to be the biggest determinant of our success in the coming years. I think we can be more dynamic in the passing game but I also think we will see more mistakes. If we can limit the sacks/turnovers/negative plays with good coaching and play calling then we can win a lot of games.
3. We are coming off two years of mild overachievement with BB and we've actually left some wins on the table. So I can envision some mild regression but I can also envision yet another step forward. I've gotten some encouraging vibes from recruiting so I'm starting to think that we'll have some depth and some positive surprises from guys that haven't played for us yet.
4. I don't see a lot of BS wishful thinking going on with the team. We know who the QB is, the depth chart looks solid, and generally we know what we're trying to accomplish on the football field. The formula for success is there. Teams with identity that can play to their strengths are capable of overachievement as other teams on the schedule fold.
5. It does seem like the schedule is fairly tough this year. Non-conference has more potential losses than I'd like. I'm getting a 7-5 vibe in terms of "expectations" and that would be acceptable. Cranking out 7+ wins with regularity at Illinois is a meaningful accomplishment and I'm not going to get greedy or impatient. As long as the QB isn't awful I think I will enjoy watching this team.
6. I think we will see a meaningful increase in fan support this year. It's starting to sink in that Illinois football is a respectable outfit and there is a bit of buzz around the program. Seems like the fans are buying in and if we do surprise and win 8+ games this year then we may "level up" again and recapture the casual fans that have disappeared over the last decade.

Newton, Randolph, and Barnes post-practice on Thursday.

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2. Dequan Finn, Toledo​

Finn is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in any Group of Five conference.

Finn was second in the MAC with 23 touchdown passes to go with 2,260 yards through the air. He also completed 60% of his passes while throwing 12 interceptions.

Finn was fourth in the conference with 240.9 yards per game of total offense as he was ninth among all players with 631 rushing yards – a school record for quarterbacks – and nine touchdowns. He was offensive MVP in the Boca Raton Bowl and MAC Championship.

For his career, Finn has recorded 4,417 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions through the air and 1,277 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. The 6-2, 210-pound junior might be even better in 2023.