Illinois was back on the practice field on Friday evening. Uniform was still shells / helmets. Per NCAA rules, they have a 7-day acclimation period.
Media was allowed from 7:45 - 8:10. Periods 1-2 includes some light position group work and warmups.
The only thing I was able to observe was how well some guy move in drills.
Some guys who stood out to me (other than the usual suspects)...
SAF Demetrius Hill. This kid looks the part. Long, lean athlete but physical with a solid frame. I watched the DB;s work the sled, and Hill was impressive. He stood out in drop drills on Thursday as well.
CB Prince Ford. Another good looking athlete at 5-11ish. Quick twitch kid. I think he has a chance to start..
OL Josh Kreutz. Kreutz is small and is going to get pushed around at times. But he has quicker feet that I thought. Really athletic. He's going to be good in pulling situations and won't have any problems getting to the second tier coming off of combo blocks. Similar physically to Doug Kramer but a better athlete.
OL Brandon Henderson. He has gotten bigger since he arrived on campus and may be the most athletic of all of the offensive linemen. He's a future standout and legit Big Ten left tackle. I'm not sure if he's ready to push for a starting spot as a true freshman, but it actually wouldn't shock me.
RB Aidan Laughery looked good running routes as a multi-purpose guy. He has some jets and nice hands. Laughery had one great one-handed catch in the end zone.
WR Malik Elzy. Stud. Elzy just stands out from a physical standpoint and is so smooth and confident running routes. He'll play right away.
Freshman DL Alex Bray can really move, but boy is he small (255 lbs). He looked like a fish out of water with the interior defensive linemen. He'll either need to gain 30-40 pounds or move to OLB. Definitely a tweener but more athletic than I thought.
Media availability Saturday at 11:30. OC Barry Lunney Jr., OL Isaiah Adams, WR Casey Washington, TE Tip Reiman.
Practice on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Media was allowed from 7:45 - 8:10. Periods 1-2 includes some light position group work and warmups.
The only thing I was able to observe was how well some guy move in drills.
Some guys who stood out to me (other than the usual suspects)...
SAF Demetrius Hill. This kid looks the part. Long, lean athlete but physical with a solid frame. I watched the DB;s work the sled, and Hill was impressive. He stood out in drop drills on Thursday as well.
CB Prince Ford. Another good looking athlete at 5-11ish. Quick twitch kid. I think he has a chance to start..
OL Josh Kreutz. Kreutz is small and is going to get pushed around at times. But he has quicker feet that I thought. Really athletic. He's going to be good in pulling situations and won't have any problems getting to the second tier coming off of combo blocks. Similar physically to Doug Kramer but a better athlete.
OL Brandon Henderson. He has gotten bigger since he arrived on campus and may be the most athletic of all of the offensive linemen. He's a future standout and legit Big Ten left tackle. I'm not sure if he's ready to push for a starting spot as a true freshman, but it actually wouldn't shock me.
RB Aidan Laughery looked good running routes as a multi-purpose guy. He has some jets and nice hands. Laughery had one great one-handed catch in the end zone.
WR Malik Elzy. Stud. Elzy just stands out from a physical standpoint and is so smooth and confident running routes. He'll play right away.
Freshman DL Alex Bray can really move, but boy is he small (255 lbs). He looked like a fish out of water with the interior defensive linemen. He'll either need to gain 30-40 pounds or move to OLB. Definitely a tweener but more athletic than I thought.
Media availability Saturday at 11:30. OC Barry Lunney Jr., OL Isaiah Adams, WR Casey Washington, TE Tip Reiman.
Practice on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
