VIDEO: Illini Now/SI Morning Update With Matthew Stevens - June 29, 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. -- Sunday wasn't a high intensity news day involving University of Illinois athletics, so Illini Now/Sports Illustrated publisher/editor Matthew Stevens hopes you enjoyed the beautiful weather in Illinois over the weekend.
Here are the two items published Saturday:
- Illini Recruiting Hot Board - Top LB Targets to Watch For Illinois’ 2021 Class: The future of Illini linebackers is highlighted by current redshirt freshman Shammond Cooper as the former four-star recruit of Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis is expected to emerge as a difference maker in the next few years. Illinois already added to the linebacker unit with the 2021 recruiting class with the commitment of three-star prospect Trevor Moffitt, who is the son of a two-time All Big East Conference player and arguably the most famous defensive player in the recent South Florida football history. Stevens looks into three potential targets at linebacker for the Illini that could make an impact in a positional group that is down to just eight scholarship players for the 2020 season.
- Illini Football 2020 Scholarship Player Positional Guide: For one of the first years of the Lovie Smith era, Illinois football will either be at or close to the NCAA limit of 85 scholarship players on the roster. In an effort to retool the roster for future seasons, the Illini have been notorious about holding scholarships back in effort to be active in the offseason market for transfer portal players and build up for a 2021 recruiting class that is supposed to replenish the roster after 24 scholarship seniors or graduate transfer players depart the roster due to graduation. Stevens gives you a look position-by-position at the scholarship players entering the 2020 Illini football campaign.
Illini Now/Sports Illustrated editor and publisher Matthew Stevens also gives you content to look forward also gives you a look at the content you can expect to see on the site before the end of your workday.