Beat author Scott Richey highlights three notable things from Day 10 of Illini Football Training Camp:
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quarterback competition
Illinois isn’t quite ready to name a starting quarterback ahead of the Aug. 27 season opener against Wyoming. But the fact that it remained a two-man competition hasn’t changed. Syracuse transfer Tommy DeVito and returning part-time starter Art Sitkowski continued to get the majority of reps throughout training camp, followed by walk-on Ryan Johnson down the line.
“One of the things that struck me offensively (Wednesday) was that the quarterbacks were uncomfortable,” Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said. “I don’t mean that they were uncomfortable with what we’re doing, but we did some good lightning work. We brought in some new plans.
load management
Chase Brown would prefer to get every possible carry. The Illinois running back won’t go to the coaching staff and ask for less touching of the ball — either in practice or on game day. But Brown also understands how much is expected of him this season. If that means a lighter workload during an August training camp workout, so be it.
“I’m a walking person, but I also have to respect the manager’s decisions,” Brown said. “If they want to hold me back on load management one day, I understand. On a load management day, I do as many mental reps as I can. Even if I’m not there, I’m there to know what’s coming. I’m confident and looking forward to competing this year. I can’t wait for Wyoming and Indiana and everyone else to stick to that schedule.
‘Best 11’
The Illinois Defense is approximately 95 percent installed. That’s the word from associate head coach/outside linebackers coach Kevin Kane. Being this far in the compilation of the scheme has allowed the defensive staff to regularly rate players in search of the top 11.
“It’s a three-day talk,” Kane said. “Who are our top 11 and how do we get them on the pitch? Three days later, some other guys are performing better, so now we have to tinker. This is the fall camp.”
Illinois has options from Kane’s room. Seth Coleman and Ezekiel Holmes may have the upper hand now, but Kane mentioned that true freshman Gabe Jacas is performing at a high level at camp.
“As we structure our defense into different packages, there will be roles for a lot of people in our space to go out and demonstrate their skills,” Kane said. “Our guys did a great job of saying, ‘This is my role and this is my time to shine.'”
Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).