East St. Louis wide receivers Terry Hawthorne and Kraig Appleton are two of the top four football prospects in Illinois for the 2008 season, two of the leading wide receivers in the nation according to recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, and coach Darren Sunkett thinks it is within the realm of possibility that they could choose the same college.

"There are real good friends," Sunkett said. "They have been going to school together since junior high school. They have mentioned it (going to college together)."

Sunkett rates Hawthorne better than Appleton even though most college recruiters and analysts seem to give an edge to Appleton because of his size. Appleton also recently demonstrated his athletic skills by winning the state championship in the 300-meter hurdles.

Hawthorne, a 6-1, 185-pounder with 4.4 speed, is the total package, according to Sunkett. "He runs with the ball after the catch better than Appleton. You can run screens to him. Give him a five-yard hitch route and he can go 80 yards. I think he is a better prospect than Appleton, a Jerry Rice type. He can beat you deep and underneath," the coach said.

Hawthorne had a better junior season, catching 41 passes for 973 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has 15 offers, including Illinois, Missouri, Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State and Vanderbilt.

Appleton, a 6-4, 205-pounder with 4.4 speed, is a superb athlete. "He is worth the price of admission. He can stretch a defensive vertically and horizontally," Sunkett said.

He has 15 offers, including Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt. A year ago, he caught 38 passes for 850 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Sunkett is cautious about making predictions for his 2008 squad. He has a lot of offensive talent returning from an 11-2 state semifinalist, including Hawthorne, Appleton, quarterback Detchauz Wray and running backs Courtney Molton and Vincent Arterbridge. The offense averaged 39 points last season and amassed nearly 5,000 yards rushing and passing.

"It's too early to tell," Sunkett said. "You have to have offensive linemen to complement your backs. We graduated three up front (including all-stater Brandon Harold, who went to Missouri) so we have three holes to fill. The quicker they come along, the better we will be. This year's team still have to prove themselves. Each team has its own personality."

On another front, it appears that former All-Chicago Area linebacker Aaron Nagel of Lemont has decided to leave Notre Dame after his redshirt freshman season and likely will opt to transfer to Northwestern, where he will join younger brother Brett, an incoming freshman who may be groomed to play tight end.

Aaron Nagel saw the handwriting on the wall. He received little practice time last fall and, with Darius Fleming of St. Rita and Steve Filer of Mount Carmel coming in to bolster an already solid group of linebackers on the Irish roster, he felt he would get little playing time in his second year.

Posted by Taylor Bell at 09:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You might not agree with me, but...

1. I didn't see Mount Carmel's 1950 football team, which some say was the best in state history, but no team impressed me more than Bloom's 1957 team that featured Leroy Jackson.

2. There is no more picturesque atmosphere to watch a football game on a Saturday afternoon in the autumn that Glenbard West in Glen Ellyn. Norman Rockwell should have painted the scene.

3. I haven't been to Ohio State but I've been to Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Purdue and the Big Ten doesn't compare to the SEC when it comes to generating fan electricity at football games.

4. I'm not a big hockey fan but there is nothing more exciting than the Stanley Cup finals--not the NBA or NFL or World Series or Final Four. Nothing but non-stop action and no fighting.

5. I'm not a big football (soccer) fan, either, but I didn't miss a second of the Manchester United/Chelsea duel for the European Champions League title. Who said soccer was boring?

6. Since Michael Jordan left the Bulls, I haven't bothered to watch many NBA games until the playoffs begin. Sorry, but until they get serious, I don't get serious about the games.

7. If the Bulls don't draft Derrick Rose, they will continue to drift around the NBA like a rudderless ship. What did they lack last year? Leadership. There is no substitute for great leadership.

8. Assuming lineman Marcus Hall will choose Ohio State instead of Illinois, the next great recruit to be signed by Illinois coach Ron Zook will be (take your pick) defensive end Craig Drummond of Morgan Park, wide receiver Kraig Appleton or Terry Hawthorne of East St. Louis, defensive back Justin Green of Louisville, Ky., or running back Ronnie Wingo of St. Louis.

Posted by Taylor Bell at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

For college football coaches, a moratorium on recruiting means a Saturday golf outing with alumni and boosters. They can't afford to play more than 18 holes and hoist a beer or two because they always fear that a conference rival will take advantage of the time to land a commitment.

In cast you haven't been keeping count, Ohio State already has 14 oral commitments, including seven top 100 players and defensive end Melvin Fellows, who originally pledged to Illinois.

Texas has 18 commitments, including three 5-star players and 11 4-star players. USC has 10 commitments, including five top 100 prospects and the nation's top-rated player, quarterback Matt Barkley. LSU has 12 commitments, Georgia and Oklahoma 11 each.

It isn't even June yet and Clemson has landed the two best defensive backs in the country, Miami (Fla.) has claimed the best running back, West Virginia has the best wide receiver, Georgia has the best defensive tackle and USC has the best linebacker. Is there anybody left for anyone else?

There is no reason to panic. For those who wonder if their alma maters will be able to catch up in the recruiting sweepstakes--Michigan has 8 commitments, Notre Dame 4, Florida 3, Illinois 2--it would be wise to note that most of the very best prospects usually don't commit until January or February.

Illinois coach Ron Zook and his staff are in the chase for some of the top 25 players in the country at their positions. The Illini have landed two outstanding line prospects, Leon Hill and Lendell Buckner of Chicago (Leo.)

Zook is pursuing five other in-state players--defensive end Craig Drummond of Chicago (Morgan Park), offensive linemen Chris Watt of Glenbard West and Pat Ward of Providence and wide receivers Kraig Appleton and Terry Hawthorne of East St. Louis.

Two quarterbacks are on Zook's list--Morgan Newton of Carmel, Ind., and Dolapo Mccarthy of Merrillville, Ind.

Defensive end and wide receiver are priorities. The list of defensive ends includes Drummond, Deonte Arnett of Forestville, Md., Tyrone Ezell of Munhall, Pa., Cornellius Carradine of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Jonathan Newsome of Cleveland, Ohio.

Other wide receivers are Terdema Ussery of Dallas, Texas, Keenan Davis of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Duwyce Wilson of Columbus, Ind.

Zook hopes to lure Marcus Hall of Cleveland, Ohio, one of the nation's premier offensive tackles, away from Ohio State. He also is recruiting offensive linemen Andrew Carter of Tallahassee, Fla., Adam Bellamy of Aurora, Ohio, and Steve Fiacable of Fort Wayne, Ind.

Other highly rated recruits are running backs David Oku of Oklahoma City, Okla, Ronnie Wingo of St. Louis, Mo., and Brandon Wegher of Sioux City, Iowa; linebackers Kerry Hyder of Austin, Texas, and Jordan Barnes of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and cornerback Justin Green of Louisville, Ky.

Posted by Taylor Bell at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

My optometrist and I were having a lively discussion about the Internet the other day while he was probing my eyes for signs of floaters and cataracts and other nasty things.

He said he reads three daily newspapers but his son only reads the Internet. His son thinks his father is a dinosaur. His son keeps a record of current events but, his father lamented, probably couldn't tell you what the Civil War was about or when it was fought.

A sense of historical perspective, he said, is sadly lacking in the modern generation.

I couldn't agree more.

Which brings me to the subject of today's exercise.

I never thought I would ever find myself in a position where I felt compelled to defend Pete Elliott"s credentials as a college football recruiter.

But it is apparent that some knuckleheads in Illini Nation, rather than take time to read the media guide or do any research, would rather take a few cheap shots and demonstrate their ignorance.

I was on campus at the time. Working for Bert Bertine, the sports editor of the Champaign-Urbana Courier, I helped to cover the football team in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965 before leaving in August, 1966, to become high school sports editor of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

This isn't a slam at Ron Zook. He is a skilled recruiter, one of the 10 best in college football. No one questions his credentials. But let's give Pete Elliott his due. In the early 1960s, he brought Illinois back from the Dark Ages. He put Dick Butkus on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Yes, Elliott only coached at Illinois for a few years in the 1960s. Yes, he left in disgrace after the slush fund scandal was exposed.

But Elliott was a superb recruiter. He signed nearly 20 players who went on to play in the NFL, including Dick Butkus, Jim Grabowski, Don Hansen, Ron Acks, George Donnelly, Cyril Pinder, Archie Sutton, Greg Schumacher, Marshall Starks, John Wright, Mike Taliaferro, Bob Trumpy and Jimmy Warren.

How many coaches can make that statement?

Butkus credits Elliott's chief assistant, Bill Taylor, for persuading him to attend Illinois rather than Notre Dame and for helping to develop him into the greatest linebacker in football history.

Elliott, who coached another future NFL star Joe Kapp and California to the Rose Bowl before suceeding Ray Eliot at Illinois, looked like a Hollywood actor. He was quiet, smooth and charming, always wore a coat and tie, and was a media darling. He never saw a newspaper reporter and photographer, a radio microphone or a television camera that he didn't like.

If the slush fund scandal hadn't scuttled Illinois' football program in the late 1960s, there is no telling how successful Elliott could have been.

Posted by Taylor Bell at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't read the Internet anymore--abstaining is good for my digestion--but friends and colleagues keep informing me of the rantings of the lunatic fringe of Illini Nation, the radical few who love to keep the pot boiling with unsubstantiated rumors and erroneous information.

Not to mention that their concept of history is Neanderthal, their grammar is awful and their spelling is worse. No wonder they prefer to use anonymous names.

Obviously, the last thing the cult wants is to have a reason to remove me from their "most hated" list.

No need.

The reason to publish a blog is to attract readers, even irrational ones. You can be sure I will never become the cheerleading, flag-waving sportswriter that some cultists want me to become. As an Illinois graduate (LAS-English, 1962), I lost of piece of Illinois Loyalty when a bunch of disloyal fools who think tradition began in 1990 banished Chief Illiniwek from the reservation. A lot of alumni did.

But football coach Ron Zook's chief assistant, Cassie Arner, called me to request a parley after reading my recent blogs about "control freaks" and "suspended list" and an alleged recruiting incident involving assistant coach Mike Woodford.

I obliged.

No, my editors didn't tell me to do it. They didn't even know about it until after it happened, then requested a story about the meeting. They don't tell anybody what to publish or what not to publish on their blogs. In nearly 50 years in this profession, I have never had an editor tell me that I couldn't print a story.

Zook and I agreed on several issues:

1. I should love my university, he said. I do, I said. I annually donate money to the Illinois Alumni Association, LAS, UI Library, Illini Media and my fraternity. And my mother (Journalism, 1939) and I have a $1,500 paver at the entrance to Campbell Center.

2. Neither one of us should ever read the Internet. He learned his lesson at the University of Florida. I learned mine several months ago. It's a no-win situation for coaches and sportswriters. Ask Bruce Weber.

3. Our recent dispute was the result of a "miscommunication." I called Zook to get a comment for a story. He claims he was never informed of the call. His assistant, Arner, said he was informed but didn't want to omment. Whatever, in the future, I have Zook's cell phone number. It won't happen again.

4. The Chicago media isn't anti-Illinois, as many members of Illini Nation claim. Zook insists he has a very good relationship with the Chicago media. He understands that Chicago has more coverage responsibilities than just what happens in Champaign-Urbana. He said he is comfortable with his share of the action.

5. I suggested that he should have a similar one-on-one meeting with recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. He agreed. Lemming is accused of being anti-Illinois and pro-Notre Dame by many members of Illini Nation and Zook has some issues with Lemming, too. Lemming has said that he would welcome a meeting.

There is no reason to believe that we won't agree to disagree on some issues in the future. That is the nature of this business. Zook doesn't expect me to be a cheerleader and I don't expect him to tell me what is going on in his inner sanctum.

King basketball coach Landon Cox had an adversarial relationship for years. I'd write something he didn't like (Efrem Winters' grade-changing scandal) and he wouldn't talk to me for a week or two or three. But sooner or later, one of us would pick up the phone and we'd begin talking again like nothing had happened. At his request, I spoke at his retirement party.

I understand how the game is played. I think Ron Zook understands. I don't think the lunatic fringe of Illini Nation ever will.

Posted by Taylor Bell at 09:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I have been writing about college football and basketball recruiting since the 1970s and I continue to be amazed at how little fans, parents and other critics know about the process.

The most interesting insight I ever received came in 1972, when legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden dispatched assistant coach Gary Cunningham to scout Thornridge's Quinn Buckner.

Thornridge coach Ron Ferguson had tipped me off that Cunningham was coming. I sat at the scorer's table and observed Cunningham, who sat directly behind Thornridge's bench.

Afterward, I asked Cunningham what he had learned, how he evaluated Buckner, if he thought Buckner could play at UCLA.

He said he didn't come to see if Buckner could play at UCLA. Wooden had already received enough information about Buckner to know that he could play at that level.

"I came to see what Buckner did during the timeouts," Cunningham said. "Does he listen to the coach or does he look up in the stands? Does he pay attention? Is his head in the game? Does he keep his teammates in the game? Is he a team player? Is he a leader or a follower?"

It's called character and Buckner had more than anyone else. Today, character, not talent, is the most important trait that college coaches look for in a recruit. They look for kids with character, not kids who are characters.

When I met with Illinois football coach Ron Zook last week, he talked about how important is is to establish relationships with recruits. And he said the most important thing about establishing a relationship is determining what kind of character the prospect has.

That's why recruiting analyst Tom Lemming travels all over the country each year to personally meet with the top 1,200 seniors. He currently is on a 21-day trip to California, Hawaii, Arizona, New Mexico, Dallas/Fort Worth, Oklahoma and Kansas City...four plane flights and 11,000 miles by car.

Some unknowing critics argue that Lemming is grandstanding, that he doesnb't have to travel all over the country--after all, they say, no one else does it--so why can't he evaluate players on film like everyone else? But that isn't the way "everyone else" does it?

"Thirty years ago, I took a cue from NFL people," Lemming said. "It's impossible to get a true evaluation without talking to a prospect, to see what they physically look like. It is important to see if they fit their description.

"Then it is important to look them in the eye and ask how important football is to them, to determine their heart and character. The NFL and the NBA and Major League Baseball, the pros, don't offer contracts and the colleges don't offer scholarships without seeing a prospect face-to-face.

"Character has become so important in the evaluating process. Nobody can afford to bring in a kid who could disrupt the program. You have to know how much time they are willing to put into their careers, to follow their passion, to get better. You can't see that on the telephone or on film."

Posted by Taylor Bell at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I can't resist.

The stupidity and lack of historical perspective of the lunatic fringe of Illini Nation never ceases to amaze me.

Pete Elliott wasn't a good recruiter?

For you knuckleheads who think history started in the 1980s, Elliott recruited Dick Butkus and Jim Grabowski and nine other players on the 1963, 1964 and 1965 Illinois teams who later played in the NFL.

Let's hope Ron Zook does as well.

Posted by Taylor Bell at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Ever spend two hours in a one-on-one conversation with Ron Zook in your living room?

The first thing you notice about Illinois' head football coach is he is a charmer. And that's a compliment. It goes a long way toward explaining why he is one of the leading recruiters in the country.

I've been in the presence of some very successful salesmen over the years, from Illinois' Pete Elliott to Notre Dame's Lou Holtz to Indiana's Bob Knight. But Zook has a different approach.

He isn't as folksy as Holtz, not as urbane as Elliott and not as profane as Knight. They were effective in their own way. Zook listens and makes his audience