As Camp Rantoul quickly approaches next Monday, Illinois fans continue to get more and more anxious.

There are many questions to be answered as a completely rejuvenated staff aims to turn around a program that has made a disgrace of itself over the past two seasons.

Coach Ron Zook is hoping that with the returning talent and new acquisitions, the Illini can turn their program around for good as he sits on the proverbial “hot seat.”

To start things off, let’s take a quick look at Illinois heading into Camp Rantoul:

On the offensive side, newly added offensive coordinator Paul Petrino is hoping to take advantage of a team with plenty of hidden talent.

But the main key in Petrino’s success this season will lay on redshirt freshman QB Nathan Scheelhaase.

Scheelhaase, a 6-2, 190-pound dual-threat QB, took over the starting position with very impressive spring practice sessions. He has to quickly adapt to Petrino’s pro-style offense this season, which is not an easy task after practicing the spread offense during his first year.

Behind Scheelhaase will be 6-0, 230-pound sophomore RB Mikel LeShoure. LeShoure averaged 6.8 yards a carry last season, which led the NCAA. The change to a pro-style offense should help in Leshoure’s running game. If he can exploit the defense, it should help take pressure of Scheelhaase.

At the WR position, expect big things as the Illini will have Eddie McGee, Jarred Fayson, A.J. Jenkins, and Jack Ramsey, all who were highly praised recruits coming into college.

On the defensive side, another newly added coach, Vic Koenning is looking to revamp a defense that struggled tremendously last season, giving up 30.2 points per game.

On the defensive line, the Illini return Clay Nurse and Corey Liuget. Both Nurse and Liuget have made it clear throughout the offseason that they won’t to become leaders on this team, with both actions and words.

At the linebacker position, they have two outstanding players in Ian Thomas and Martez Wilson.

Junior Ian Thomas was the leading tackler a season ago, averaging 7.9 per game. Last season was his first as a starter, as he started off with a bang compiling 13 tackles in the opener against Missouri. He is hoping he can again be a big factor in turning around the defense.

Wilson, who will also be a junior, missed every game besides Missouri last season with a herniated disk in his neck that required surgery last season. Wilson stands at 6′-4″, 250 pounds. He recorded a 4.4 forty-yard dash as a senior in high school. Koenning has mentioned that Wilson has made huge strides since he was hired back in December.

In the secondary, Illinois’ most two notable players will be Tavon Wilson and Terry Hawthorne.

Wilson was third on the team last year in tackles with 74. The junior cornerback also recorded seven passes broken up and one interception. Ron Zook has come out and said during fall practices so far that Wilson has taken his skills to much higher level.

Hawthorne will be a sophomore next season and has already set high expectations. Last season he earned Freshman All-Big Ten honors from The Sporting News as he racked up 30 tackles and started in 5 games. He has also made Phil Steele’s preseason first team All-Big Ten and Athlon Sports preseason third team All-Big Ten for the upcoming season.

Look for both the offense and defense to improve in the upcoming season as the new coordinators bring hope and promise to a talented roster.

Things/People To Keep an Eye On during Camp Rantoul:

1) How the offense adapts to the change in coordinator and scheme.

2) How the defense adapts to the change in coordinator and scheme.

3) Nathan Scheelhaase: Look to see how he not only has responded to the change in offense, but how he handles being the starting QB.

4) Eddie McGee: Look to see how he is doing at the WR position as well as how he looks as QB.

5) Martez Wilson: Look to see how he has comeback from his injury.

6) The Secondary: This was a huge weakness for the Illinois defense last season, but with more experience they have the capability to turn it around.

7) Defensive Line: As mentioned earlier, Clay Nurse and Corey Liuget look to be leaders of the team with their actions and words, and all of that starts as soon as Camp Rantoul begins.

8) Attitude and dedication of the players: Last season, Illinois was ridiculed for the lack of effort and emotion they put into the game. If they can put more effort and emotion into practices, games, etc., that could be one of the main factors during the rebuilding process.

Here is the schedule for Camp Rantoul:

 

Sun. Aug. 8    Media Day     Noon-2 pm       Memorial Stadium

Mon. Aug. 9    Practice 4    3:30 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Tue. Aug. 10   Practice 5    3:30 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Wed. Aug. 11  Practice 6    8:05 am           Rantoul, Ill. Practice 7    6:15 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Thu. Aug. 12   Practice 8    3:30 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Fri. Aug. 13     Practice 9    3:30 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Sat. Aug. 14   Practice 10   6:30 pm           Rantoul High School

Mon. Aug. 16  Practice 11   8:05 am           Rantoul, Ill. Practice 12   6:15 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Tue. Aug. 17   Practice 13   3:30 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Wed. Aug. 18  Practice 14   8:05 am           Rantoul, Ill. Practice 15   6:15 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Thu. Aug. 19   Practice 16   3:30 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Fri. Aug. 20     Practice 17   3:30 pm           Rantoul, Ill.

Sat. Aug. 21   Practice 18   3:30 pm            Rantoul, Ill.

Sat. Aug. 28   Fan Appreciation Day, TBA     Memorial Stadium

All fans are welcome to come!

Directions to Camp Rantoul:

From I-57: Take Rantoul exit (exit 250)…Head east off ramp until you come to Route 45 …Go south on Rt 45…Follow until you see the fields on your left hand side…Take a left onto Wheat Ave…Parking is available on your right hand side in the parking lot.

From Champaign: Take Rt 45/Cunningham North until you see the Rantoul welcome sign …Take a right onto Wheat Ave.

Illinois no longer has to be in constant fear about the lack of experience at the QB position.

Coach Ron Zook confirmed Tuesday that Eddie McGee will be backup QB next season to Nathan Scheelhaase in case of an emergency.

“If something happens, absolutely,” Zook said.

Nathan Scheelhaase was projected to be the backup quarterback this season but acquired the starting spot after an impressive showing during spring practices.

After Scheelhaase, the Illini have two freshman quarterbacks under scholarships—Chandler Whitmer and Miles Osei—after Jacob Charest transferred Division II Catawba in June.

All three quarterbacks have yet to make an appearance during a collegiate game.

McGee was originally recruited to Illinois as a QB, but Juice Williams claimed the position for McGee’s first three seasons at Illinois. He then made the switch to WR last season as a way to exercise his speed and athleticism.

McGee will start to take more snaps at the QB position during Camp Rantuol, which will begin next Monday.

“He’s going to have to practice (at quarterback) every day,” Zook said. “We talked a little bit about that. He’s willing to do what he’s asked to do. He’s supposed to have been out there at quarterback (during summer workouts).”

Last season, McGee played QB in nine games, throwing for 303 yards while completing 53.2 percent of his passes.

When Big Ten Media Day comes upon us, it means one thing—college football season is right around the corner.

And for Ron Zook and the Fighting Illini, it means many questions are soon to be answered.

A team with a refurbished staff, a loss of star players, and a head coach on the “hot seat” will have many obstacles to overcome in the upcoming year after last season’s disaster.

In Illinois’ 2009 campaign, the Illini went 3-9 overall and 2-6 in conference games. The offense was productive, but their defense got picked apart, giving up 30.2 points per game. Unfortunately, the season ended on a 53-52 loss to the Fresno State Bulldogs.

From that point, they fired offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, quarterbacks coach Kurt Beathard, wide receivers coach Jim Pry, and special teams coach Mike Woodford.

Not only did they lose four coaches, but also they lost their top two players—quarterback Juice Williams and wide receiver Arrelious Benn.

Now, they are in a rebuilding mode.

This offseason, Paul Petrino has taken over as offensive coordinator, Vic Koennig was appointed the new defensive coordinator, and Jeff Brohm has won the job as quarterbacks coach. DeAndre Smith is working as the running backs coach, Chip Long has taken over as tight ends coach, and Ron West is the new linebackers coach.

Also, the offense will now be a pro-style offense—compared to a spread offense that Zook has had since he took over. That change in offense will be lead by redshirt freshman QB Nathan Scheelhaase.

“I, like everyone else, am excited to be here,” said Zook at the 2010 Big Ten Media Day in Chicago. “Obviously at the University of Illinois we have a lot of new things going on and excitement. Got a new quarterback that I think everyone will enjoy watching. And we all want to see the progress that he’s going to make and obviously new coaches.

“So we’re excited to get going, looking forward to it. The attitude has been great. The transition was probably as smooth as it possibly could have ever been with the coaching changes.

“And I just, like everyone else, I’m looking forward to getting going. We start—come in Wednesday night and Thursday is our first practice.”

Next season will be Zook’s sixth season as head coach for the Illini, and it could also be his last if he does not get Illinois to a bowl game.

During his five-year tenure so far, he has a combined record of 44-53, taking Illinois to a Rose Bowl in 2007 but failing to make a bowl appearance the following two years.

Many consider him to be one of the top coaches on the “hot seat,” but he suggests he does not feel all the pressure people have put on him.

“No, I don’t [feel the pressure], to be honest with you,” said Zook. “I think everyone that stands up here today has got pressure. Obviously, some of us have more than others. I think the thing that you try to do is you do the best you can do.

“I don’t feel any more pressure. I’m excited. Looking forward to getting going.”

He also claims that his players have not been negatively affected by all the scrutiny he has been put under.

“The players—you know, you kind of circle the wagons and they stay close. As I said, I’ve been very, very impressed with the way they’ve been around this summer. Not necessarily working out, but just being around the offices, being around, watching tape, being around and saying, ‘hey, coach, what’s going on?’ And it’s been a lot of fun.

“But I, like everyone else, when you get new things, everyone’s excited. And everyone wants to see what’s going on. And I’ve been around Nathan Scheelhaase long enough now that I think at every level, whether it be college, the National Football League, or high school, a lot will have to do with your quarterback.

“And it’s going to be important that our offensive staff, Coach [Paul] Petrino and the offensive coaches, that we keep as much pressure off him as we can.”

As mentioned earlier, the defense had major struggles last year.

They finished last in the Big Ten in both scoring defense (30.2 ppg) and total defense (403.2 ypg).

In hope of turning around the defense, Illinois demoted both of their co-defensive coordinators.

They went on to hire Vic Koenning, who currently had the co-defensive coordinator position at Kansas State.

Koenning is known well for dramatically improving defenses. At Kansas State, he improved its rushing defense from 112th to 16th last season. And during his four years at Clemson, the Tigers finished in the top 25 in scoring, total defense, and pass efficiency defense.

He has also brought in Ron West, who coached with him at Clemson, to help with the linebackers.

Zook understands that the defense needs to make some big strides in the upcoming season, or his hope of making a bowl game will be diminished, but he feels confident they have make the commitment to get improve.

“Defensively, once again, going back to the spring, I told our football team in the very last meeting that what was going to be important that we’re a better football team when we start camp on Thursday than we were at the end of spring.

“And we can’t be there as coaches. There’s one time we have the least amount of work in terms of football with your players. And I told them all, it was going to be important that you guys make yourselves better.

“And I know they’ve talked about and this is leadership and so forth, where they’ve had their own sessions out there all summer long. Many of them have told me it’s been the best summer they’ve had in terms of working on football.

“Usually I’m the last one to leave. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to turn the video stuff off. They leave the projector on, which is good. It means they’re there paying attention to it. So I think defensively, you know, we’re doing some different things…But I’m excited about the way they’ve picked it up, and once again I think we’re doing enough moving around that we’ll get away with any lack of size in our front.”

One of the big reasons Illinois’ defense had so many troubles was the season-ending injury to star linebacker Martez Wilson.

After the season opener against Missouri, he felt discomfort in his neck, which led to the discovery of a herniated disk in his neck that required surgery.

This year, though, Wilson has been cleared to play alongside a more experienced defense with likes of Ian Thomas, Tavon Wilson, Corey Liuget, Clay Nurse, and Terry Hawthorne.

Zook addressed exactly how important that injury was last year, but how much of an impact he has already had on the players this offseason.

“Once again, Martez got hurt in the first game last year,” said Zook. “That was a big blow. He was, no question, the leader.

“He had a great, great spring. He had a great camp. He was playing as well as any Mike linebacker I’ve been around probably anywhere.

“And for him to get hurt in the first game, obviously, was a big, big blow. But he’s back 100 percent.

“In fact, actually he went through spring. He didn’t go through the contact. It was hard to keep him out of it because he was always trying to stick his face where he shouldn’t stick it.

“But he’s had no issues. He’s been 100 percent all offseason. And I really felt like last year it was going to be his opportunity to show people that he had a chance to be the kind of player that we all felt like when we recruited.

“Here’s a guy that didn’t play a lot of linebacker in high school, and really kind of settled into that position as I said last year. Just got his final checkup last week, and got 100 percent clean bill of health and ready to go. And just being around him, once again, like I said earlier, sometimes when you take something away from them they realize how important it is to them and what it means to them.

“So he’s not only had a great work ethic in terms of the weight room and practicing and so forth, but the leadership that he’s brought. And you see him being around the players has been, it’s good to have him back, I know that.”

If you look at Illinois’ roster, it’s much more deep than what most people think.

At the quarterback position, they have Nathan Scheelhaase, one of the nation’s most prized recruits two years ago. To back him up, you have another highly touted recruit, Chandler Whitmer.

At the running back position, they have Mikel LeShoure, who led college football in yards per rush last season. And behind him is Jason Ford, who is a strong runner that will punish anyone who underestimates him.

At the wide receiver position, they have Eddie McGee, Jack Ramsey, A.J. Jenkins, and Jarred Fayson.

Then when you look at the defensive side, they have 6’4″ 250 pound linebacker Martez Wilson, they have linebacker Ian Thomas who lead Illinois in tackles last season, they have two outstanding defensive backs in Tavon Wilson and Terry Hawthorne, and they return most of their defensive line led by Clay Nurse and Corey Liuget.

But with such outstanding talent, Illinois has failed to succeed the past two years, and Ron Zook knows this season he has to prove he can not only recruit, but be a good coach as well.

“I don’t think there’s any question I have something to prove,” said Zook, who has failed to record a winning season since 2007. “I think that’s why you’re in this profession. It’s about winning.

“And you have to win, and we have to go do that. But I don’t know that we can do a whole lot more than what we’ve done right now. As I said, the coaching staff, the way they’ve gotten together, the way they’ve jelled, as I sit in there, I’ve been able to look at it a little bit differently. I’ve been able to step back and maybe not be quite as involved.

“It’s been kind of a relief as well. And when you can kind of give your suggestions and talk about things that maybe people have tried to do to us in the past or going to try to do to us, just let your players play.

“It goes back to, like I said earlier, I think probably on paper our football team is probably a better football team than it was two years ago. But that doesn’t matter, it still goes back to you got to win games and that’s the bottom line.”

Ron Zook has 12 games to prove that he can coach a team to success.

It all starts with a pivotal season opener on September 4 in Saint Louis against the Missouri Tigers.

A team that fails to be successful, a fanbase waiting and waiting to become a competitive team again, coaches being cleared out like they haven’t won a game in years, an athletic director and head coach being put under constant scrutiny, and a program starting to lose more faith week after week.

These are the characteristics that reveal what the Illinois football program has become after failing two years in a row following a Rose Bowl appearance in 2008.

During the 2007-2008 season, Ron Zook and the Illinois football program discovered that the talent they were bringing in could result in endless possibilities.

Juice Williams began to prove doubters wrong and show why he was such a highly touted recruit. He was a main reason Illinois came out of the season with a record of 9-4, which included a victory over top-ranked Ohio State in Columbus and its first appearance in the Rose Bowl since 1984.

Arrelious Benn, who was a freshman at the time, led the Illini in receiving with 676 yards on 54 receptions. He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American.

The defense was led by First Team All-Big Ten linebacker J Leman. He led the team in tackles with 10.3 per game and dominated with 12 tackles in Illinois’ upset of the Buckeyes.

These were just three of the many players that were a part of a team that made history for the Illinois.

Once that season was in the books, prime-time recruits started looking at Illinois, getting excited about the possibilities that it held for them. What followed for the Illini was something that no one saw coming.

Just a year after a Rose Bowl appearance, Illinois failed to make any bowl appearance at all with a record of 5-7.

With three games left, they had a record of 5-4, but three losses in a row to Western Michigan, Ohio State, and Northwestern prevented Illinois from reaching a bowl game for the second consecutive year.

Still, Illinois was able to bring in a very strong recruiting class led by Nathan Scheelhaase and Terry Hawthorne.

But recruiting meant nothing if Zook was unable to coach once the team went onto the field.

Zook, who was fired from Florida in 2004, has been heavily criticized for his poor development of incoming talent and is currently being put in the “hot seat."

It was proven again in the 2008-2009 season that maybe the 2007 season was just a fluke.

Illinois yet again failed to make a bowl game and compiled a record of 3-9, which included a heartbreaking 53-52 loss to Fresno State in the season finale.

Juice Williams had one of the worst years of his career. He was sat multiple times and replaced by either Eddie McGee or Jacob Charest.

Along with the failure of Williams, Benn was injured in the season opener against Missouri, which resulted in a poor season for the predicted Heisman Trophy candidate.

The season cost Illinois some of their highest priority recruits last year: Kyle Prater (USC), Corey Cooper (Nebraska), and C.J. Fiedorowicz (Iowa).

Illinois then realized they had to make some changes within their coaching staff, and they made some big moves accordingly—but not what most fans were looking for.

Instead of firing Ron Zook, they fired offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, quarterbacks' coach Kurt Beathard, wide receivers' coach Jim Pry, and special teams' coach Mike Woodford. Co-defensive coordinators Dan Disch and Curt Mallory were allowed to stay as coaches for Illinois, but they were demoted to position coaches.

Illinois has now filled some of the vacancies with experienced, highly thought-of coaches. Paul Petrino has taken the offensive coordinator position; Vic Koenning has taken the defensive coordinator position; and Chip Long has taken the TE coaching position.

The biggest change will be with Coach Petrino. He brings a whole new style of offense to the Illini: pro-style.

Instead of being in the shotgun most of the time, the starting QB—who is presumed to be Nathan Scheelhaase—will be under center primarily.

Scheelhaase is a 6'2", 190-pound dual-threat quarterback. He beat out Jacob Charest and Chandler Whitmer for the starting job during spring practices earlier this year.

Koenning brings the type of mentality to the team that has not been seen for quite some time. The former Kansas State co-defensive coordinator loves on-field enthusiasm but will not accept it going over the line.

During spring practice, safety Trevon Bellamy had a big hit on his teammate and immediately began to celebrate. He was not ready in time for the next play, and Koenning quickly got on him and addressed the incident to the media as well.

“They’re not in the NFL. We don’t need to do all that stuff. One time, it was a two-minute drill. Well, you’re over there celebrating and they’re lined up, ready to go. That’s not real smart,” he said.

“College football is supposed to be wholesome and not have all that celebration stuff. We’re not going to do that. That shows no class. I know Coach Zook doesn’t want it, and I know the people of Illinois don’t want it, and I guarantee you that I don’t want it. We’re not going to do it.”

Now that Zook and athletic director Ron Guenther have a refurbished staff, a new QB, and an arrow pointed straight at their heads, it’s time for them to step up. With the new coaches changing up schemes, a bowl appearance will be difficult for Illinois unless the players can adapt quickly enough.

But if the Illini cannot make a bowl game next year, it seems very likely that Ron Zook will be fired.

Let’s take a look at their schedule and my predictions for each game:

@ Missouri (St. Louis): L

Southern Illinois: W

Northern Illinois: W

Ohio State: L

@ Penn State: L

@ Michigan State: L

Indiana: W

Purdue: W

@ Michigan: L

Minnesota: W

@ Northwestern: L

@ Fresno State: W

As I looked over the schedule, this is what I have come up with:

I can see them going anywhere from 2-10 to 8-4. This season for Illinois may be one of the most interesting ones we have ever seen, because nobody knows what to expect.

But I can also see this season turning out in one of two ways:

1. The Illini are able to adapt quickly to the offense and win the games they are supposed to, also pulling off an upset or two, which lands them a bowl appearance.
2. The season becomes a nightmare. There will be no team chemistry, no leadership, and no urgency to win. Coach Ron Zook then gets fired.

Illinois has been on a roller coaster the past couple years.

It’s Zook and Guenther’s job to get it back on track before it derails.

Josh Ferguson, a senior running back from Joliet Catholic, has committed to the University of Illinois.

Ferguson, who is 5’8, 169 pounds, is the 23-ranked player in the state of Illinois and is among the best running backs in the state.

During his junior year, he rushed for 1,596 yards and 20 touchdowns on 178 carries, averaging 10 yards per rush. He had an outstanding 5A State Championship game, rushing for 107 yards.

Ferguson is a below average sized running back, but his size is misleading, because he is a well built, strong back.

With a 40-yard dash time lower than 4.5, he is known primarily for his speed and ability to change direction quickly and fluently.

Ferguson has the potential to play many positions for the Illini including RB, slot WR, or even kick returner.

He is the fifth in-state recruit for the Illini and ninth overall.