By Pete Ruden | [email protected]

• “What a difference a year makes.” Thinks he knows player roles now.
• Felt Illinois was behind in terms of facilities. A new facility should “put us on par.” “When you have the latest and the greatest, that has to be a positive.”
• Chayce Crouch will start at quarterback “Dual athlete, football junkie … A lot of confidence in him going into his first year as a starter.” “There’s a lot of optimism in Champaign based on him.”
• “We haven’t been competitive enough; we realize that. Our program hasn’t been to a lot of bowl games; we realize that.”
• “We didn’t win enough football games … Offensively, we have to score more points, simple as that. Defensively, we have to take the ball away.”
• Said WR Mike Dudek’s speed and strength are back to where they were before injury. “He will give the offense a big boost.”
• Taking a lot of steps this offseason. Recruiting to elevate talent level, offseason workouts. Feels like he knows his players well now.
• “We’re excited about the two night games we have as well, against Nebraska and South Florida.”
• Said the recruiting pipeline in South Florida is very important, but still have to go to other areas. Also interested in gaining ground in Texas.
• Needs to teach Crouch, who is coming off of an injury, how to slide. “You have to do everything you possibly can to protect yourself.”