VIDEO: Illini Now/SI Morning Update With Matthew Stevens - June 24, 2020

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

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In this edition of the Illini Now/Sports Illustrated 'Morning Update' video, publisher Matthew Stevens gives you a look at the top stories involving Illinois athletics.

Here is the news topic Stevens hits on for Fighting Illini fans:

1. Gov. Pritzker’s Phase 4 Reopening Plan Could Allow Illini Fans Inside Memorial Stadium: Stevens details how Governor J.B. Pritzker's plan to reopen the state of Illinois more by Friday is being interpreted to allow over 12,000 fans inside Memorial Stadium for the 2020 football season. Based on the new regulations for phase four of the "Restore Illinois" plan, athletics officials at University of Illinois are more than hopeful to have football fans in the stands.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration released safety guidance for the state’s next phase of reopening Monday afternoon. Part of those guidelines included a line what they're calling “outdoor seated spectator events”, which has athletics officials inside the University of Illinois thinking fans at football games inside Memorial Stadium is possible.

“At first blush, that seems to be what it says,” a source inside the U of I athletics department said. “We’re still taking a closer look at the guidelines and comparing them to plans we were already talking about.”

According to Pritzker’s plan for phase four of the state’s reopening plan, which also allows indoor restaurant services, gyms and museums to open with capacity limits beginning possibly Friday, outdoor spectator sports can resume with no more than 20 percent of seating capacity.

2. West Virginia Places Fmr. Illini Coach On Administrative Leave After Accusations Of ‘mistreatment and racism’: West Virginia University has placed defensive coordinator Vic Koenning on administrative leave Tuesday following a football player has taken to Twitter to accuse his Koenning, who coached at Illinois over nine years ago, of inappropriate behavior.

West Virginia sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr., called for “a change in our program,” Tuesday in a long social media post detailing what he considered inappropriate language and insensitive behavior from the Mountaineers defensive coordinator.

3. Illini Football Recruiting 2021 Hot Board: The Illini will likely have four starting seniors and a rising junior (Kendrick Green) already drawing interest from National Football League scouts and it is because of this five-man combination that those inside the Illinois program are excited about the possibility of a breakout year for an offense led by senior quarterback Brandon Peters. Illini Now/Sports Illustrated wanted to take a look at the inside spots, which features one of the top commitments of Illinois’ 2020 class in Brody Wisecarver and arguably the Illini’s best chance at securing a solid in-state recruit.