ESPN

The Big Ten released its conference football schedules for the 2015 and 2016 seasons on Monday. Here’s a look at the Northwestern Wildcats' and Illinois Fighting Illini's schedules for both seasons.

Northwestern

2015
Oct. 3: at Iowa
Oct. 10: Minnesota
Oct. 17: at Nebraska
Oct. 31: Purdue
Nov. 7: at Indiana
Nov. 14: Michigan
Nov. 21: Michigan State
Nov. 28: at Illinois

2016
Oct. 1: Nebraska
Oct. 8: at Purdue
Oct. 15: at Michigan
Oct. 22: Iowa
Oct. 29: at Minnesota
Nov. 12: Indiana
Nov. 19:at Michigan State
Nov. 26: Illinois

Illinois

2015
Oct. 3: at Penn State
Oct. 10: at Indiana
Oct. 17: Wisconsin
Oct. 24: Michigan
Oct. 31: at Iowa
Nov. 14: Ohio State
Nov. 21: at Purdue
Nov. 28: Northwestern

2016
Oct. 1: Penn State
Oct. 8: Indiana
Oct. 15: at Wisconsin
Oct. 22: at Ohio State
Oct. 29: Iowa
Nov. 5: at Michigan
Nov. 19: Purdue
Nov. 26: at Northwestern

OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Five Big Ten head coaches have official Twitter accounts, but none other uses it as consistently as new Illinois boss Tim Beckman.

If there aren't a few tweets sent out from Beckman's account (@coachbeckman) every morning between 6-8 a.m. -- with several exclamation points included -- someone should probably call for a wellness check. Twitter is just one of several tech tools Beckman and his staff use to connect with fans and recruits.

Beckman attributes part of Illinois' early recruiting success for 2013 -- the Illini have nine verbal commits, the third most in the Big Ten behind national leader Michigan (18) and Ohio State (11) -- to the benefits of technology.

"It's been unbelievable, the change because of technology," Beckman told ESPN.com on Thursday before an appearance on the Illinois Coaches Caravan in the Chicago suburbs. "With the iPad and Vudu or Tango or Skype, what used to be a phone call is now a visual. What we can do when we're talking to them, with the backgrounds [at Illinois' facilities] and different things. Players want to see themselves."

Beckman credits his assistants for the fast start to 2013 recruiting, which included a verbal from heralded quarterback prospect Aaron Bailey. The Illini have had just one verbal commit by this date in each of the past two years.

Both the 2011 and 2012 classes received so-so marks.

"In today's age, the way recruiting's going and how fast it's going, there's no question [a fast start is important]," Beckman said. "Getting players on your campus, meeting your staff, meeting your staff's families, meeting everybody that's going to be involved in your student-athlete's life is very important."

Beckman is known as a strong recruiter, and he succeeds another at Illinois in former coach Ron Zook. But like all FBS head coaches, Beckman can't recruit off campus during the spring evaluation period (April 15-May 31).

That's where technology comes in.

"I love recruiting," he said. "As a head football coach, when you can't go out in April and May, [technology] is the only way you're able to touch base with those players. So I think it's great."

Illinois coach Tim Beckman talks to Adam Rittenberg about his tour through the state, his first spring in Champaign and the team's early recruiting success.

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge announced Monday that Northwestern will host Maryland on Nov. 27, and Illinois will host Georgia Tech on Nov. 28.

Northwestern is 6-7 and has won its last four games in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Wildcats never have faced Maryland in the conference challenge.

Illinois also is 6-7 and has won its last three games in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. It has never played Georgia Tech in the challenge.

Northwestern went 19-14 overall and reached its fourth consecutive NIT last season. The Wildcats return four starters and five of their top seven players. Northwestern also will add Louisville transfer Jared Swopshire and TCU transfer Nikola Cerina, who will both be eligible next season, and redshirt freshman Tre Demps, who sat out last season with an injury.

Illinois went 17-15 overall and was not invited to a postseason tournament. The Illini fired coach Bruce Weber following the season, and he was replaced by John Groce, who coached Ohio to the Sweet 16 last season. Illinois will return all but two players from last year’s team and add Coastal Carolina transfer Sam McLaurin, who will be eligible next season.

Former Illinois shooting guard Crandall Head committed to SMU on Thursday.

Read the entire story.

St. Rita freshman guard Charles Matthews awoke to a phone call from his high school coach notifying he had been offered by DePaul and Illinois on Tuesday.

Matthews stayed home from school Tuesday because he wasn’t feeling well and had already missed one call from St. Rita coach Gary DeCesare before he was finally reached with the news.

“It was such a blessing,” said Matthews, a 6-foot-4 guard. “It’s truly an honor and a blessing to be offered these opportunities. I’m just a freshman, and I have three scholarship offers. I’m grateful.”

Matthews previously was offered by Arizona in April. DePaul and Illinois watched Matthews while he played with MeanStreets, a club team, during the April recruiting period.

“You always want to have an in-state school on your list,” Matthews said of the two offers. “My doors are going to be open to both of those schools in the long run.”

Matthews didn’t anticipate jumping on any of the offers soon. He said he has seen too many players make mistakes with early commitments.

“I’m going to take my time to look it over,” Matthews said. “I’m not going to rush into it. I notice a lot of people de-committing after they commit early. I don’t want to be one of those people to go back and forth with my college decision. I want to make a firm decision that I’m comfortable with.”

DeCesare, who was previously a Division I assistant coach, has mixed feelings about Matthews’ offers.

“I don’t think I believe in the system offering kids so early,” DeCesare said. “Who knows who’s going to be there three years from now? But I guess it’s a necessary evil because they look at who’s being offered.”

Matthews started for St. Rita’s varsity team as a freshman and averaged nine points and six rebounds.

“I think he’s got great versatility,” DeCesare said. “He could play in high school at all five positions. I think he could be an off-guard in college. I think he could be a point guard. He’s got great size to him. His size for a freshman to be a 6-4, 6-5 and handle the ball is obviously a huge plus for anybody.”

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Multiple times during the past month -- in the wee hours of the morning, when he couldn't sleep -- Bruce Weber grabbed his cellphone from the nightstand and began to text.

Often he'd send four or five messages. Other times it was 10 or 20. Eventually, Weber plans to respond to every text he received the week after he was fired from Illinois.

The problem?

There are more than 1,000 of them.

"I've got about 200 left to return," Weber said. "Coaches I didn't even know were contacting me. Former players, guys that are playing in Europe … so many people reached out and said, 'Thank you. You did things right. You affected me.'

"It made me feel so good. I was basically being eulogized every day."

Weber stops and chuckles.

"Somebody actually told me, 'You got to live through your own wake,'" he said.

Weber's time at Illinois may be finished, but his career is far from dead. Twenty-two days after his nine-year run with the Illini came to an end, Weber was hired to replace Frank Martin at Kansas State.

Read the entire story.

Coastal Carolina forward Sam McLaurin announced Thursday that he is transferring to Illinois for his senior season, and he later apologized for the language he used in making the announcement.


Read the entire story.

Former Illinois guard Crandall Head said Wednesday he plans to visit SMU next week, but he is also still considering attending DePaul next year.

Head, a sophomore shooting guard, left Illinois after the school’s first semester in December. He did not enroll in junior college in the spring and will have to sit out all of next season wherever he transfers.

Head said his visit to SMU came about because of his relationship with former Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard, who was recently added to Larry Brown’s staff at SMU. Howard recruited Head at Illinois.

(Read full post)

Junior defensive end Jarrod Clements and junior defensive tackle Merrick Jackson have committed to Illinois, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Clements, who is 6-2 and 270 pounds, attends Trotwood-Madison High School in Trotwood, Ohio. He also had offers from Louisville and North Carolina State.

Jackson, who is 6-2 and 320 pounds, attends Althoff Catholic in Belleville, Ill. Jackson also has offers from Indiana and Missouri.

Illinois now has seven commitments, including four in state, in its Class of 2013.

Illinois coach John Groce announced on Monday the addition of Prospect senior guard Mike LaTulip as a preferred walk-on.

LaTulip, a 6-foot combo guard, averaged 22 points, four assists and two rebounds during his senior season at Prospect. He also made 75 3-pointers and shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range.

LaTulip committed to Illinois while Bruce Weber was coach and recently made a campus visit to meet with Groce.

"We are pleased that Mike will attend the University of Illinois and join our basketball team," Groce said in a statement. "He is a prolific scorer and without question one of the best shooters in the state of Illinois. He turned down many scholarship opportunities to walk-on here, so we feel fortunate to add a player of Mike's caliber to our program."

Groce also recently added Drake transfer Rayvonte Rice to his roster. Rice will have to sit out next season per NCAA transfer rules.

Former Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard said Monday his departure from the Illini’s staff was best for the program and himself.

Howard, a former Illinois assistant and player, spoke publicly Monday for the first time since leaving Illinois and joining Larry Brown’s staff at SMU. Howard had been an assistant under former Illinois coach Bruce Weber for five seasons and was named the Illini’s interim head coach when Weber was fired in March.

Illinois named John Groce as Weber’s full-time replacement, and Groce decided to not retain Howard on his staff. Howard was still under contract with Illinois until he resigned to join SMU’s staff.

“It was difficult,” Howard said of leaving Illinois. “I thought it was the right thing for Coach Groce to move in a different direction. I think it was the best decision for everybody. Change is hard. Sometimes with change, the best thing is to start from scratch.

“I didn’t want the players to use me as a crutch. If they didn’t like something, I didn’t want them coming to me complaining every time. I think it was best for everybody.”

(Read full post)

Illinois set a school record by having four players selected in the first two rounds of this year’s NFL draft.

Illinois senior offensive lineman Jeff Allen and senior safety Tavon Wilson became the third and fourth Illini players taken in the draft on Friday. Allen was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round as the No. 44 overall pick. Wilson was taken by the New England Patriots in the second round as the No. 48 pick.

In the first round on Thursday, defensive end Whitney Mercilus went to the Houston Texas as the No. 26 pick and wide receiver A.J. Jenkins was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 30th pick.

Illinois hadn’t previously had more than two players selected in the first two rounds.

“It means a lot,” Allen said of the four draft picks. “We’ve always had talent. We’ve had great players taken in the draft. To have four players in the first two rounds is unbelievable. It’s something you can’t describe. I’m just so happy for all my teammates right now.”

Allen, who attended King High School in Chicago, will join former Illinois teammate Jon Asamoah on the Chiefs’ offensive line. Asamoah was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round in 2010 and started 16 games for them last season.

Wilson had 81 tackles, including 51 solo, and one interception last season for Illinois.

The Illini had four players taken in the draft last year. Three of those picks came in the first three rounds.

Drake shooting guard Rayvonte Rice announced Wednesday he will transfer to Illinois.

Rice, a 6-4, 240-pound guard, chose the Illini over Xavier. Rice grew up in Champaign, Ill. and attended Champaign Centennial High School.

Read the entire story.

The Big Ten has released its complete prime-time schedule for the 2012 season, with 14 total games under the lights this fall. That includes six games on the ABC/ESPN family of networks and eight on the Big Ten Network.

Here you go, night owls (all kickoffs listed in ET):

Aug. 31

Boise State at Michigan State, 8 p.m., ESPN

Sept. 1

Indiana State at Indiana, 8 p.m., Big Ten Network

Sept. 8

Vanderbilt at Northwestern, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 15

Notre Dame at Michigan State, 8 p.m., ABC
Utah State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m., BTN
Ball State at Indiana, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 22

Syracuse at Minnesota, 8 p.m., BTN
Louisiana Tech at Illinois, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 29

Wisconsin at Nebraska, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Oct. 6

Nebraska at Ohio State, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Oct. 13


Ohio State at Indiana, 8 p.m., BTN

Oct. 20
Penn State at Iowa, 8 p.m., BTN

Oct. 27

Ohio State at Penn State, 6 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Michigan at Nebraska, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Thoughts:

• Every Big Ten team except Purdue will have at least one night game this season. The Boilermakers have to be a little disappointed after getting to a bowl game last year and bringing back a talented roster. Nebraska and Ohio State will each play three league games under the lights.
• If you were planning on going to a Halloween party on Oct. 27, better make sure you have access to a TV -- or TVs. Not only will the Ohio State-Penn State and Michigan-Nebraska games be on in prime time, that's also the same day Wisconsin and Michigan State meet up at Camp Randall Stadium. It's a little hard to believe that game, which is a rematch of two epic duels from last season, won't be in prime time. But the two chosen for night slots are also big and feature four enormous fan bases. Wisconsin-Michigan State likely will get the 3:30 p.m. ET time slot in what is shaping up to be the biggest day of the season in the Big Ten.
• Ohio State will play three of its four October games at night, including Nebraska's visit to the Horseshoe. It's no surprise, given the Buckeyes' following and the presence of Urban Meyer. Even without the ability to play in the postseason, the Buckeyes figure to be an attractive team for TV ratings purposes this year. The atmosphere in Columbus when Big Red comes to town should be absolutely electric.
• Speaking of Nebraska, three of the Huskers' biggest games of the season will all be in prime time. Bo Pelini's team will get a chance to atone for blowout losses to Wisconsin and Michigan under the lights at Memorial Stadium. That place got crazy for last year's huge comeback win against Ohio State at night and should be similarly fired up for the Badgers and Wolverines.
• Penn State will have back-to-back prime-time games, and neither will be easy. The Nittany Lions must travel to Kinnick Stadium, which is usually a great atmosphere at night. It's the third time in four years those two teams have played at night. Penn State will also play the following week after dark versus Ohio State, which should provide an advantage for the Nittany Lions. There was no night game at Beaver Stadium last year, which didn't sit too well with the Penn State faithful. They've got a perfect white-out opportunity with Meyer and the Buckeyes coming to State College.
• Adam and I had Michigan State No. 1 in our pre-spring power rankings and may very well keep the Spartans there through the summer. But Michigan State will not get any prime-time exposure during conference season. The night games against Boise State (on a Friday) and Notre Dame were no-brainers, and with both at home the Spartans will need good showings to impress the rest of the country.
• Northwestern had three straight night games last season but gets only one all season this year, in the academic bowl against Vanderbilt. Assuming both student bodies aren't studying, that could be a fun game.
• Wisconsin won't get the benefit of playing at Camp Randall at night this year, except against Utah State. And the Badgers didn't figure to need much help in that game.
• The night kickoff could also help Minnesota in an interesting nonconference game against Syracuse. The Gophers had only one night game a year ago and lost in embarrassing fashion to North Dakota State.
• Indiana gets three prime-time exposure opportunities, all of them at home. Perhaps that can improve the game-day environment in Bloomington, though Ohio State often has almost as many fans as the Hoosiers when it comes to Memorial Stadium.
• Michigan's first-ever night game last season against Notre Dame was a smashing success, but the Wolverines will not go under the lights again this year in the Big House, as had been reported. But they will get their share of high-profile prime-time matchups, having to play Notre Dame and Nebraska on the road at night. The opener against Alabama in Arlington, Texas, is also expected to be a night kickoff. The schedule offers few breaks for Brady Hoke's team in 2012.
• Overall, I think it's a very strong prime-time schedule. I count five weeks with at least one really appetizing matchup, with the potential for much more. I'm already planning on not sleeping the night of Oct. 27.

What are your thoughts on the prime-time schedule?