Wisely, in-state recruiting remains an Illinois priority

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Nov. 1—CHAMPAIGN — It takes longer than it did five years ago to count the number of players from the state on the Illinois football roster.

By design.

The number is currently at 47, with eight more set to join in the 2026 recruiting class.

The 2020 Illinois roster, Lovie Smith's last during an ill-fated five-year run, included 39 Illinois natives, eight fewer than the current team.

The Smith staff didn't abandon recruiting Illinois, but it didn't seem to make it a priority, either.

That changed when Bret Bielema took control of the Illini before the 2021 season. The former Wisconsin and Arkansas coach knew he couldn't rebuild the place with Illinois players alone. But it had to be the foundation.

"One of the things I thought walking into this job, I already knew a lot of Illinois high school coaches," Bielema said Thursday. "That's probably doubled, if not tripled, since then. I've literally reached out to a couple of high school coaches this week that I've become very close with during this process, either through recruiting the guys we got or maybe even guys we didn't get. Just the awareness factor."

Illinois offensive line coach Bart Miller, who played football at Elk Grove High School in the Chicago suburbs, was one of Bielema's first Illinois hires. How was the reception from the state's high school coaches?

"I think it was pretty positive when we first got here," Miller said. "Nothing against the old staff, but there was a sense of finally getting back to the state and focusing on the state.

"The first couple guys who went out on the road, we stayed in specific areas."

For Miller that meant the northwest Chicago suburbs, where he had recruited in the past for other programs.

"I knew a lot of coaches," Miller said.

Bielema made a "huge push to get in with the coaches' association."

The staff wanted the annual high school coaches clinic in Champaign-Urbana, and Bielema hired longtime Metamora coach Pat Ryan as the director of Illinois high school relations. Ryan's contact list is long.

"Pat Ryan just does an unbelievable job," Bielema said. "Pat reaches out to every person in the playoffs. He talks to every high school coach. I can't tell you how many times when I reach out to a high school coach, he'll say, 'I talked to Pat Ryan last week.' That's a big part."

"He obviously has a tremendous amount of respect throughout the whole state," Miller added. "The steps we took to get back to the state gave us a fighting chance on some things. Obviously, the wins have to come. I think everyone has seen, even though there have been some ups and downs, the program is on a steady rise."

Gaining strength

As the first round of the IHSA playoffs started Friday night and continue on Saturday, Bielema's program is keeping a close eye on the state's top talent. The relationship with the teams and coaches is on solid footing.

"I think it's respected, it's trusted," Miller said of the Illinois program.

Some changes have happened. The recruiting calendar is different. And so is the recruiting style.

"It used to be in May, I would got to Chicago at the end of April and I would come back on Memorial Day," Miller said. "I would go door to door and hit every school in the area. Now, I don't think we can say that. We don't do that anymore because of the nature of the business. I'm chasing linemen here or chasing a junior college guy or portal guy now. In all honesty, the days of going door to door for walk-ons, too, that's over."

Illinois has a growing personnel department that identifies and communicates with prospects.

"In season, tonight I'd be making an hour's worth of phone calls," Miller said on Tuesday. "I'm not doing that tonight. I'm working on third downs tonight. There's just a little bit of a change in how things strategy-wise have gone. It's not as much blanketed. It's much more targeted."

Fertile ground

In terms of producing talent, Illinois isn't at the level of California, Florida or Texas. But it is in the next wave of states.

"I don't know if I'd put a number on it, but I do think it's incredibly strong," Miller said. "It's good football."

Josh Gesky agrees.

The senior from Manteno is one of four Illinois products who make up the starting offensive line. He is joined by center Josh Kreutz (Loyola Academy), right guard Brandon Henderson (East. St. Louis) and right tackle Melvin Priestly (East. St. Louis). Oakland native J.C. Dayis is the lone starter not from the Land of Lincoln.

For Gesky, playing in the Big Ten was always the dream. His dad, Joel, was an offensive lineman at Nebraska.

"I liked Illinois growing up," Gesky said. "I watched the Big Ten all the time."

He followed the Nebraska program because of his dad, but when Illinois started to recruit him, Gesky wanted in.

"I love Illinois," he said. "I love representing Illinois. It means everything to be able to play for my home state."

Gesky hopes the roster is filled with players from the state, now and in the future.

For pride and practical reasons.

"It helps with homesickness a lot," Gesky said.

On open weeks, his teammates from Florida can't easily go home. But Gesky has just a 90-mile drive north to Manteno.

"That's important," he said. "It helps a lot with your confidence."

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