Scrimmage notes: Illini getting 'chirpy' in dog days of camp; health update & standouts – 247Sports

CHAMPAIGN — Whoever “won” Monday’s final scrimmage of Illinois football training camp probably depends on who you ask.
“Happy with it. I’m proud of it,” Illinois linebacker Tarique Barnes said of the defense’s performance. “Moving around, flying around, everybody seems to know where they’re supposed to be, so really looking good right now.”
Sophomore running back Josh McCray said of the offense: “We was on it today. That’s all I can say: we was on it today.”
The scrimmage was closed to media and fans, so only those inside the Smith Football Center know the real answer, but the chippiness of camp is certainly becoming palpable.
The Illini this week began their third week of training camp, the dog days of the ramp-up to the season, and the players acknowledge they’re getting a little anxious, a little cranky about the grind of the intense, long lead into the season. The players sound ready for Wyoming to come to town, even if kickoff with the Cowboys isn’t for another 11 days.
“Everybody in the locker room, we’re all ready for the first game,” McCray said with a smile. “We’re just waiting for the time to get here. …I’m just ready for the game, boss. I’m just ready.”
Added Barnes: “Ready to get to the first game. We’ve been around each other so there’s a lot of testosterone in the air. A bunch of guys are waiting on, so we’re getting kind of chirpy.”
Illinois already has begun team preparation for Wyoming, but Monday’s scrimmage certainly was valuable for the Illini staff as it measures its progress heading into game week.
Illini head coach Bret Bielema said the scrimmage was less situational than last Monday’s scrimmage, that they practice all downs and “all situations” and that the staff wanted to watch the team “move up and down the field.”
Bielema noted that many of the team’s top players were taken out at halftime of the scrimmage to prevent injuries — including veterans OL Alex Palczewski, DB Sydney Brown, Chase Brown, DL Johnny Newton, DB Quan Martin and DB Devon Witherspoon as well as QB Tommy DeVito, who is the frontrunner for the starting job — and allow younger players to get valuable reps. 
Bielema also was happy that the turnovers, penalties and drops apparently were low.
“There are a lot of things we can correct on film, but for the most part, I thought it was pretty clean,” Bielema said.
Bielema, who focuses intently on small details, certainly will push his players during the next 11 days to clean up any mistakes. But understandably, the players are anxiously counting down the days to kickoff against the Cowboys.
“We ready. We’re just ready to put it on tape,” Illini cornerback Devon Witherspoon We’re ready to have the fans in the stadium and perform for them. …Just itching to play another team, have an opponent and just playing on Saturday.”
Bielema said Illinois had a few players suffer minor injuries on Monday but didn’t expect any of them to impact next week’s season opener.
“Very excited to come out of it pretty healthy,” Bielema said. “We had a few guys a little bit here and there with some soft tissue but nothing of significant, nothing that should take away from our prep for Wyoming.”
Freshman wide receiver Shawn Miller, who was limited for the first two weeks of training camp as he recovered from a shoulder injury suffered during spring practice, participated in the scrimmage with the goal of about 25 snaps.
Redshirt freshman defensive tackle TeRah Edwards did not participate in the scrimmage as he continues to ramp up from an offseason knee injury. But Bielema expects the nose tackle and Northwestern transfer to participate in individual drills for Tuesday night’s practice with the hopes of getting fully cleared for Wednesday’s practice. Bielema previously said Edwards was expected to be ready for the season opener.
Bielema reiterated that senior tight end Luke Ford, an expected starter, should return from a medical issue next week and be available for Wyoming.
Bielema added that a redshirt freshman who “wasn’t in the playing rotation” will need minor surgery that will hold him out two weeks, but he did not specify which player.
Bielema noted a few standouts from Saturday’s scrimmage during his 15-minute session with the media, including nickelback Quan Martin, cornerback Devon Witherspoon and the linebackers.
“Quan’s a really good player, and I’ve just seen him take another jump this year that has been fun to watch,” Bielema said. “I think he stands out, especially. I think Spoon’s really played well. Spoon … made a nice play, broke on a ball and all the offensive guys thought he was stealing a signal and that he knew a play was coming. I go, ‘Why did you know that was coming?’ He said, ‘I saw the formation to the boundary, and I knew what I was getting to the field.’ It just shows he’s thinking like a football player.

“Really at the linebacker spot, CJ Hart, Tarique Barnes and Isaac Darkangelo are really like three starting inside linebackers. They’re really playing at a high level.”
Bielema also singled out two new starting specialists: kicker Caleb Griffin and punter Hugh Robertson. Griffin is in his fifth season but has attempted just one field goal attempt so far during his career, while the 29-year-old Robertson has only punted once in a game.
“Caleb Griffin by far hit the ball as good as he hit all fall today,” Bielema said. “I think he was 100-percent on all his field goals, so really good. Hugh was really knocking it well in the punt game as well, so excited for those guys.”
Besides quarterback, Bielema’s staff hasn’t revamped a position group as much as wide receiver — and Bielema likes the progress of that remodeling so far.
The Illini’s top wideout a year ago, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Williams (525 receiving yards), is expected to have an even bigger role this season in new offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr.’s offense. Bielema is encouraged by the fourth-year Illini’s progress since switching from quarterback last spring.
“Isaiah’s made a big jump,” Bielema said. “I think from where he was a year ago at fall camp to where we are now [has improved] in so many different ways, obviously in wide receiver play, his ability to catch the ball, his demeanor, his ability to lead especially on the offensive side of the ball. I give [George McDonald] a lot of credit on him, man. He has really taken a big step.”
Redshirt junior Casey Washington and sophomore Pat Bryant are expected to get heavy reps on the perimeter, but the Illinois staff also has praised Brian Hightower this fall. After totaling 209 yards and three touchdowns in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Miami transfer played just four games last season and had zero catches after an injury slowed him down.
But Hightower again is starting to show why he was a four-star prospect out of Los Angeles in the Class of 2018.
“Another guy that I’m just so excited to watch him play out this year is Hightower,” Bielema said on Monday. “He has by far played at a level that I haven’t seen him play at. Kind of always knew it was there. But he just physically looks different. He’s catching the ball extremely well. Very coachable. Just everything you want, I think High’s done that.”
Illinois lost two long-time offensive line starters to the NFL Draft — Vederian Lowe (Minnesota Vikings) and Doug Kramer (Chicago Bears) — and another of last season’s starters, Jack Badovinac, ran out of eligibility. So the Illinois offensive line certainly will be less experienced and different this fall.
But one positive difference is the front five will be noticeably longer. Last year’s starting five averaged 6-foot-4, 310 pounds. This year’s projected starting five — LT Julian Pearl, LG Isaiah Adams, C Alex Pihlstrom, RG Zy Crisler and RT Alex Palczewski — averages 6-foot-6, 316 pounds.
“I think the thing that will jump out to you — a lot of the NFL scouts who are coming through know my history and what we’re all about — just the length of our offensive line,” Bielema said. “If you go from left tackle to right tackle, Julian Pearl is probably our longest player. Then you throw in Isaiah Adams now at left guard, he’s extremely long. He’s 6-4 or 6-5, but he’s got really big length. Alex Pihlstrom is really long for a center. A lot of times, [centers] don’t have that much length. Pihl’s played tackle, right? So it shows how long we are. Then at right guard with Zy or Jordyn, whoever’s in there, Zy I think is actually the longest arm length that we have on the roster. Then at right tackle, Palcho is extremely long. I just think tackle-to-tackle, that’s going to jump out, for sure on the offensive line.”
In addition to returners with varting starting experience (Palczewski, Pearl and Pihlstrom), the Illini are working in two junior college players who haven’t played at the power-five level: left guard Isaiah Adams and right guard Zy Crisler, who is battling with pretty inexperienced fifth-year player Jordyn Slaughter for a starting spot. But sixth-year offensive lineman Alex Palczewski, who has more than double the number of collegiate starts (52) as the rest of the offensive line, has been encouraged by what he’s seen during training camp.
“It’s awesome to see guys coming into their own and really being comfortable with their spot and just blossoming into true good offensive linemen,” Palczewski told Illini Inquirer. “Julian’s been doing a great job just getting comfortable at left tackle. Isaiah Adams is doing an unreal job at guard. Pihl, it’s crazy to see the difference from pre-spring ball to now. I’m so proud of him. I can’t even say it into words how proud of him I am of him. Everyone’s just doing a great job. Isaiah Adams, Zy Crisler, Jordyn Slaughter also. They’re all just doing an awesome job. If you can’t tell, I’m really [expletive] proud of them.”
Someone who’s happy about the Illini offensive line’s literal growth? The running backs.
“We got some dogs up front,” sophomore running back Josh McCray said. “Everybody looks way different than last year. You got a lot more push on the offensive line, so that makes holes open up for us running backs. Just get downhill.”
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