Draft Scout Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20 Player News, College Football: Warning: Undefined variable $TeamName in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\notesteam.php on line 20

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (MEDIA): DL Jer'Zhan Newton...Newton had 50 tackles to lead the Illini among defensive linemen. He added 4.0 TFLs and 3.0 sacks as one of the top performing interior defensive linemen in the Big Ten. - Illinois Football

(DS#2 DT) rJr/2024

DT Johnny Newton, Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

12/08/21 - Owen Carney Jr., rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-3, 269 (DS#34 DE) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Owen Carney,...Carney had a career-high 6.5 sacks in 2021 to rank sixth in the Big Ten and third in the Big Ten West, while climbing to No. 9 on Illinois' all-time career sacks list (15.0). He totaled 46 tackles - another career high - and 8.0 TFLs on the season. - Illinois Football

(DS#34 DE) rSr/2022

DE Owen Carney Jr., Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

12/08/21 - Sydney Brown, rSr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 211 (DS#2 SS) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Sydney Brown,...Brown was Illinois' leading tackler with 81 for one of the most improved defensive units in the nation. He was a key part in Illinois' turnaround in allowing 13.0 fewer points per game and 101.0 fewer yards per game since last season. Brown added two forced fumbles, three pass breakups, 1.5 TFLs, and 1.0 sacks in 2021. - Illinois Football

(DS#2 SS) rSr/2023

SS Sydney Brown, Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

12/08/21 - Alex Palczewski, rSr/2023, Illinois, 6-7, 303 (DS#20 OT) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Alex Palczewski,...Palczewski was right behind Lowe, a fellow five-year starter, as the No. 5 graded tackle in the Big Ten by PFF this season. Palczewksi split time this season between tackle and guard this season, ending his Illinois career with a record 52 starts (tied with Lowe). - Illinois Football

(DS#20 OT) rSr/2023

OT Alex Palczewski, Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

12/08/21 - Vederian Lowe, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 310 (DS#22 OT) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Vederian Lowe,...Lowe has been one of the top representatives of Illinois during his five years in Champaign. This season he is a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year semifinalist, FWAA Courage Award nominee, and represented all Big Ten student-athletes by delivering the Big Ten Media Days featured speech. Lowe is the No. 4 graded tackle in the Big Ten by PFF this season. - Illinois Football

(DS#22 OT) rSr/2022

OT Vederian Lowe, Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

12/08/21 - Blake Hayes, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 226 (DS#5 P) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Blake Hayes, Illinois,...Hayes put together another extraordinary season for the Illini and will depart Champaign with nearly every Illinois punting record. This season, Hayes was a Ray Guy award semifinalist as one of the top 10 punters in the nation, a Senior CLASS Award finalist, an Academic All-District selection, and a two-time Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week award winner.

Hayes is the Illinois record holder for season punts inside the 20, season punts inside the 20 percentage, season 50+ yard punts, career punting average, career punt yards, career punts inside the 20, and career 50+ yard punts. He has been at least an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in all of his five seasons for the Illini and was third team or better in four of five years, including winning the 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year award. - Illinois Football

(DS#5 P) rSr/2022

P Blake Hayes, Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

12/08/21 - James McCourt, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-0, 216 (DS#15 K) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM (COACHES): James McCourt, Illinois,...McCourt had one of the best kicking seasons in Illinois history, going 14-for-15 on field goals inside of 50 yards, tying the Illinois record for 50+-yard field goals with four, and going perfect on extra points. McCourt ranked third in the nation in 50+-yard field goals (4) and ninth in the nation in kickoff touchback percentage (82.4%). He hit the sixth-most field goals in a season in Illinois history (18) and leaves Champaign with the eighth-best career field goal accuracy in program history (37-52, 71.2%) and the most career 50+-yard field goals (8). - Illinois Football

(DS#15 K) rSr/2022

K James McCourt, Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

12/08/21 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

2021 ALL-BIG TEN THIRD TEAM (COACHES): RB Chase Brown, Illinois,...Brown became the 14th Illini in history to rush for over 1,000 yards when he totaled 1,005 rushing yards this season. He ran for 223 yards on 33 carries and one touchdown at #7 Penn State to help Illinois win the longest game in college football history (20-18, 9 OT), and joined Howard Griffith (1990) and Rashard Mendenhall (2007) as the only players in program history with multiple 200-yard rushing games in a single season. He also ran for a career-high 257 yards against Charlotte and another 147 yards on 30 carries in Illinois' road win over #20 Minnesota. - Illinois Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Illinois Football
Share/Comment: Here

11/27/21 - Brandon Peters, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 228 (DS#15 QB) + More +

Brandon Peters threw for 242 yards and a touchdown and Illinois rolled over Big Ten rival Northwestern 47-14 on Saturday. With the resounding win to end the regular season, Illinois hopes to secure its second bowl bid in five years. Peters also threw an interception. Chase Brown rushed 14 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, Josh McCray carried 12 times for 42 yards and a score. Isaiah Williams and Daniel Barker also scored rushing touchdowns for the Illini. Williams also caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.

Ryan Hilinski passed was 12 of 23 for 123 yards passing for Northwestern. Evan Hull rushed 32 times for 101 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats. Malik Washington caught seven passes for 83 yards. Illinois (5-7, 4-5 Big Ten) took control of the game early, scoring midway through the first quarter after Isaiah Gay recovered an Evan Hull fumble on the Illinois 8-yard line. Daniel Barker punched it in for a touchdown, followed two minutes later by another score on a 39-yard Peters pass to Williams to put Illinois up 14-0. After Peters hit Casey Washington with a 56-yard pass, Chase Brown scampered one yard for the Illini's third touchdown of the half. Williams then ran 21 yards for yet another Illinois touchdown. Northwestern (3-9, 1-8) got on the board with 6:58 left in the first half on a one-yard Hilinski run capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive to make the score 28-7 Illinois. Three James McCourt field goals gave the Illini a 37-7 lead at the half. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2022

QB Brandon Peters, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

11/09/21 - Blake Hayes, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 226 (DS#5 P) + More +

NOV 8 BIG TEN SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Blake Hayes, Illinois, P – Sr. – Melbourne, Australia – Brighton Grammar (Melbourne, Australia),...Punted seven times for 306 net yards (43.7 avg.) and dropped four punts inside the 20 to help Illinois control field position in the Illini's 14-6 win over No. 20 Minnesota...With 1:12 left in the game, downed a 41-yard punt at the Minnesota 2, pinning the Golden Gophers at their own goal line...His 28 punts inside the 20 this season are tied for first in the Big Ten...Earns the third Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career and his second of the season...Last Illinois Special Teams Player of the Week: Blake Hayes (Aug. 30, 2021). - Big Ten Football

(DS#5 P) rSr/2022

P Blake Hayes, Illinois
News Source: Big Ten Football
Share/Comment: Here

11/06/21 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

Chase Brown rushed 33 times for 150 yards, and the Illinois defense delivered six sacks and two interceptions of Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan on the way to a 14-6 victory on Saturday. Kerby Joseph picked off Morgan at the Illini 45-yard line with 38 seconds left to halt the too-little-too-late rally by the Gophers (6-3, 4-2), whose four-game winning streak that catapulted them into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten West Division was stopped cold. Morgan scored on a fourth-and-1 bootleg with 4:56 to go after going 7 for 8 for 68 yards on that drive to pull the Gophers within one score.

The Illini (4-6, 3-4) finished the game with seven consecutive punts, except for a kneel-down at the end of each half, but Brown moved the chains with a 7-yard run off left tackle on third-and-4 near midfield around the 3-minute mark. Blake Hayes pooched his last punt to land it at the 2, leaving only 1:12 remaining and no timeouts for Morgan and the Gophers. After a 38-yard strike to Dylan Wright, Morgan was taken down for an 11-yard sack by Isaiah Gay so hard the Illini linebacker hurt himself on the play. The damage was done much earlier by the Illinois defense, which constantly pressured Morgan and forced him out of the pocket. Ky Thomas had 16 carries for 60 yards, but the Gophers again failed to find a rhythm with the ball. Morgan was sacked by Owen Carney Jr. on fourth-and-6 at the 22 to end that drive in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Illini were beating them at their own game. Brandon Peters attempted a season-low nine passes, but he was as sharp as he needed to be with seven completions for 80 yards and a touchdown to help Illinois keep hope of bowl game eligibility alive. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

10/27/21 - Chase Brown, Sr/2023, Illinois, 5-10, 209 (DS#10 RB) + More +

OCT 25 BIG TEN OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Chase Brown, Illinois, RB – So. – London, Ontario – St. Stephens Episcopal (Fla.),...Rushed for 223 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries (6.76 avg.) in Illinois' 20-18 upset win at then-No. 7 Penn State. Marked the most rushing yards ever by a player in a game at Beaver Stadium...Has now rushed for more than 200 yards in two games this season, having also eclipsed the 200-yard plateau vs. Charlotte on Oct. 2 (257 yards). Joined Howard Griffith (1990) and Rashard Mendenhall (2007) as the only players in program history with multiple 200-yard rushing performances in a single season...Is one of just three FBS players to register multiple 200-yard rushing games this season along with Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III and Missouri's Tyler Badie...Earns the second Offensive Player of the Week accolade of his career...Last Illinois Offensive Player of the Week: Chase Brown (Oct. 4, 2021). - Big Ten Football

(DS#10 RB) Sr/2023

RB Chase Brown, Illinois
News Source: Big Ten Football
Share/Comment: Here

10/25/21 - Artur Sitkowski, rSr/2024, Illinois, 6-4, 225 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Illinois quarterback Artur Sitkowski will miss the rest of the season after breaking his left arm against Penn State. Brandon Peters will start the Illini's home game against Rutgers on Saturday. Coach Bret Bielema announced Monday that Sitkowski would have surgery on his arm Wednesday and have another operation in two to four weeks to correct a chronic problem in his right shoulder. Bielema said Sitkowski would miss spring practice and should be full strength next fall. Sitkowski's arm was broken when he was hit as he threw a rollout pass in the fourth overtime of Illinois' 20-18 nine-overtime win at Penn State last Saturday.

Sitkowski completed half his passes (74 of 148) for 704 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions in his five games. The sophomore was in his first year with the Illini after transferring from Rutgers. He replaced an injured Peters early in the opener against Nebraska and led the Illini to a 30-22 win. Sitkowski started the next two games and backed up Peters the following four. Peters was injured against Wisconsin on Oct. 9 and cleared to play against Penn State, but Bielema started Sitkowski. Peters entered after Sitkowski got hurt and threw the winning pass to Casey Washington. - AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2024

QB Artur Sitkowski, Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

10/23/21 - Brandon Peters, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-5, 228 (DS#15 QB) + More +

Casey Washington caught a 2-point conversion pass from Brandon Peters to end the first nine-overtime game in NCAA history and lift Illinois over No. 7 Penn State 20-18 Saturday. The teams were tied at 10 after regulation, exchanged field goals in the first two overtimes, then began to alternate 2-point attempts in the third OT as part of a format tweaked ahead of the 2021 season. Neither team converted until the eighth overtime, when Isaiah Williams ran one in to put Illinois up 18-16. Penn State's Noah Cain kept the game alive with a 2-point run of his own. In the ninth OT, Sean Clifford's pass to Parker Washington was broken up by linebacker Khalan Tolson. Peters then found Washington near the back of the end zone for the winning completion.

The 2-point conversion shootout started in 2019, the season after LSU and Texas A&M played a seven overtime game that left both teams badly beaten up. The rule was tweaked this year, with the 2-point conversion possessions beginning with the third overtime instead of the fifth. Chase Brown and Josh McCray combined for 365 rushing yards and a touchdown and James McCourt kicked three field goals, including 39- and 32-yarders in overtime, to snap Illinois' three-game skid to Penn State. The two bullish backs blasted through wide-open holes and flanked Penn State's defense again and again on a soggy day at Beaver Stadium. The Illini (3-5, 2-3 Big Ten) outgained the Nittany Lions 370 yards to 207 in regulation and battled back from an early 10-0 deficit. Peters, normally Illinois' starter, came off the bench when Artur Sitkowski hurt his left hand in the sixth overtime period. - Illinois/AP College Football

(DS#15 QB) rSr/2022

QB Brandon Peters, Illinois
News Source: Illinois/AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

10/19/21 - Jake Hansen, rSr/2022, Illinois, 6-1, 239 (DS#14 ILB) + More +

Illinois linebacker Jake Hansen will miss the rest of the season after having knee surgery. Hansen, who was injured in the second quarter against Wisconsin on Oct. 9, made the announcement Wednesday on Twitter. "It pains me to say that I will not play another game as an Illinois football player," Hansen tweeted. "I would like to thank everyone that has been a part of my journey as an Illini especially my family, teammates, coaches, strength staff, athletic trainers, academic counselors, and fans! I will look back at my time here with no regrets and will continue to cherish every moment I enjoyed here. With that said I look forward to pursuing my life long dream of playing in the NFL!" Hansen's 12 forced fumbles made him the NCAA's active career leader and ranked second on the Illinois all-time chart behind Simeon Rice's 13. He led the nation with 14 takeaways over the 2019-20 seasons. In five games this season, Hansen had 32 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack, to go with two forced fumbles. - AP College Football

(DS#14 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Jake Hansen, Illinois
News Source: AP College Football
Share/Comment: Here

Previous 15 Notes

|Back to Page One|

Next 15 Notes

Warning: Undefined array key "TeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 56

Warning: Undefined array key "DSTeamID" in D:\InetPub\vhosts\scoutnation.com\draftscout.com\2020rightcolteam.php on line 57

Illinois Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

** Draft Scout Data **
(Everything Online PLUS)

Support Draft Scout

The Database Engine for NFLDraftScout.com, Draft Scout is being repurposed...Support the Future Development of ScoutNation.com...

Draft Scout Archives

** 2010-2022 Draft Scout Archives **
(Yearly Player Data Exports, Prospect Lists & More)

Draft Scout Future

100% Dedicated and Never Done

80% Innovated

45% Hidden

35% Built

2025 CFB/2025-2029 NFL Draft Scout

2024 CFB/2024-2028 NFL Draft Scout

2023 CFB/2024-2027 NFL Draft Scout

NFL Draft Scout History

2022 Draft Scout

Draft Scout by Conference

2023 Draft Scout Offense

2023 Draft Scout Defense

2022 Draft Scout Offense

2022 Draft Scout Defense

Illinois Football Videos

Buy Draft Scout Weekly

Support Draft Scout

Draft Scout Archives

Draft Scout Future

Synergization

Did You Know?

Hidden Designs

Future Development