VIDEO: Illini Now/SI Morning Update With Matthew Stevens - July 3, 2020

The Illini Now/Sports Illustrated 'Morning Update' with publisher Matthew Stevens gives you a look at the top stories involving Illinois athletics.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illini Now/Sports Illustrated publisher/editor Matthew Stevens focuses on the story of Illinois senior-to-be linebacker Milo Eifler and his mother, Rachel Morello-Frosch, who has a master’s and doctorate degree in public health and is a research professor at University of California-Berkeley in the school’s department of public health.

“I was talking to my mom and as you know, she works at Cal-Berkeley as a professor and she does a lot with health. So, I’m just asking her questions and she’s telling me the real deal facts. I’m like ‘Dang, I didn’t know it was this severe.’” - Illinois linebacker Milo Eifler

Eifler is the adopted son of Morello-Frosch and Cal-Berkeley professor David Eifler. He didn't start playing organized football until his sophomore year in high school at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California but fell in love with the game immediately. After being a highly-recruited prospect, Eifler transferred to Illinois from Washington after not being satisfied with his playing time following his redshirt-freshman season with the Huskies.

Eifler, who is scheduled to graduate in December with a degree in sociology, wasn’t able to be definitive with reporters on whether he can commit to play in the 2020 season. The projected starting linebacker for Lovie Smith’s Illini defense knows the coronavirus doesn’t allow for such predictions when training camp is scheduled to start next month and the season opener against Illinois State is slated for Sept. 4.

“In the back of your head, you're like,'There's no vaccine, there's no way to, there's quarantining and after the quarantining, I guess I'm okay so I won't catch the virus again.' But then there's long-term effects. There's always this back and forth, you know what I'm saying?”

• Other topics include: Alex Tchikou, a 6-foot-11 four-star power forward named Illinois among his final nine selections - Illinois fans may have an understanding one of their favorite team’s draft decisions of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn sooner than the NCAA’s Aug. 3 deadline.

  Tchikou, which is pronounced chi-koo, announced his decision to graduate high school early and reclassify to the upcoming 2020 recruiting class in order to be a college freshman this coming fall.