2017 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record2–10 (0–9 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGarrick McGee (2nd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorHardy Nickerson (2nd season)
Base defense4-3
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 2016
2018 →
2017 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 5 Ohio State xy$   8 – 1     12 – 2  
No. 15 Michigan State   7 – 2     10 – 3  
No. 8 Penn State   7 – 2     11 – 2  
Michigan   5 – 4     8 – 5  
Rutgers   3 – 6     4 – 8  
Indiana   2 – 7     5 – 7  
Maryland   2 – 7     4 – 8  
West Division
No. 7 Wisconsin xy   9 – 0     13 – 1  
No. 17 Northwestern   7 – 2     10 – 3  
Iowa   4 – 5     8 – 5  
Purdue   4 – 5     7 – 6  
Nebraska   3 – 6     4 – 8  
Minnesota   2 – 7     5 – 7  
Illinois   0 – 9     2 – 10  
Championship: Ohio State 27, Wisconsin 21
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Lovie Smith. They finished the season 2–10, 0–9 in Big Ten play to finish in last place in the West Division.

Recruiting

Position key

Back B Center C Cornerback CB Defensive back DB
Defensive end DE Defensive lineman DL Defensive tackle DT End E
Fullback FB Guard G Halfback HB Kicker K
Kickoff returner KR Offensive tackle OT Offensive lineman OL Linebacker LB
Long snapper LS Punter P Punt returner PR Quarterback QB
Running back RB Safety S Tight end TE Wide receiver WR

Recruits

The Fighting Illini signed a total of 25 recruits.

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Mike Epstein
RB 		Fort Lauderdale, Florida St. Thomas Aquinas HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 6, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Ricky Smalling
WR 		Chicago, Illinois Brother Rice HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Apr 26, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Kendall Smith
WR 		Bolingbrook, Illinois Bolingbrook HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 26, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Cameron Thomas
QB 		Richton Park, Illinois Marian Catholic HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 31, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Vederian Lowe
OG 		Rockford, Illinois Auburn HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 352 lb (160 kg) Jun 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Marc Mondesir
LB 		Chicago, Illinois St. Rita HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jun 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:2/5 stars
Tony Adams
WR 		St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis University HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Aug 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Larry Boyd
OG 		St. Louis Missouri Trinity Catholic HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 310 lb (140 kg) Aug 13, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Carmoni Green
WR 		Miami, Florida Miami Central HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Aug 25, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Olalere Oladipo
DE 		Huntley, Illinois Huntley HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 238 lb (108 kg) Aug 25, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Ra'Von Bonner
RB 		Cincinnati, Ohio Sycamore HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sep 27, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Del'Shawn Phillips
LB 		Highland Park, Michigan Garden City Community College 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Dec 14, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Howard Watkins
OG 		Cincinnati, Ohio Colerain HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 280 lb (130 kg) Dec 19, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Kendrick Green
DT 		Peoria, Illinois Peoria HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 270 lb (120 kg) Dec 22, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Nate Hobbs
CB 		Louisville, Kentucky Male HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Dec 23, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Owen Carney
DE 		Miami, Florida Miami Central HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Dec 25, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
James Knight
S 		East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jan 16, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:2/5 stars
Louis Dorsey
TE 		Jacksonville, Florida Ribault HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jan 21, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Alex Palczewski
OT 		Prospect, Illinois Plant HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 260 lb (120 kg) Jan 20, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Deon Pate
DE 		Jacksonville, Florida Trinity Christian Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 246 lb (112 kg) Jan 30, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Bennett Williams
CB 		Watsonville, California Saint Francis HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jan 31, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Dawson DeGroot
S 		Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jan 31, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Jamal Woods
DE 		Hueytown, Alabama Hueytown HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Feb 1, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Bobby Roundtree
DE 		Largo, Florida Largo HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Feb 1, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Isaiah Gay
DE 		Rocky Mount, North Carolina Northern Nash HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Feb 10, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  • "2017 Illinois Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.

Schedule

Illinois announced its 2017 football schedule on July 11, 2013. The 2017 schedule consisted of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Fighting Illini hosted Big Ten foes Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers, Wisconsin, and traveled to Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Purdue.[1]

The Fighting Illini hosted two of the three non-conference opponents, Ball State from the Mid-American Conference and Western Kentucky (WKU) from Conference USA, and traveled to South Florida from the American Athletic Conference.

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 211:00 a.m.Ball State*
BTNW 24–2142,505
September 97:00 p.m.Western Kentucky*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
BTNW 20–741,923
September 156:00 p.m.at No. 22 South Florida*
ESPNL 23–4735,404
September 297:00 p.m.Nebraska
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
FS1L 6–2843,058
October 711:00 a.m.at Iowa
BTNL 16–4569,894
October 1411:00 a.m.Rutgers
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
BTNL 24–3535,675
October 212:30 p.m.at Minnesota
BTNL 17–2445,243
October 2811:00 a.m.No. 5 Wisconsindagger
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
ESPNL 10–2442,101
November 411:00 a.m.at Purdue
BTNL 10–2946,027
November 1111:00 a.m.Indiana
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL
BTNL 14–2440,195
November 182:30 p.m.at No. 8 Ohio State
ABCL 14–52105,282
November 253:00 p.m.No. 23 Northwestern
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Champaign, IL (rivalry)
FS1L 7–4230,456
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game
  • All times are in Central time
Schedule Source:[2]

Game summaries

Ball State

1 2 3 4 Total
Cardinals 7 0 14 0 21
Fighting Illini 6 10 0 8 24

See also: 2017 Ball State Cardinals football team

WKU

1 2 3 4 Total
Hilltoppers 0 0 0 7 7
Fighting Illini 3 10 7 0 20

See also: 2017 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

At South Florida

1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 2 7 0 14 23
No. 22 Bulls 9 14 14 10 47

See also: 2017 South Florida Bulls football team

Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total
Cornhuskers 7 14 0 7 28
Fighting Illini 0 3 3 0 6

See also: 2017 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

At Iowa

1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 3 10 3 0 16
Hawkeyes 7 10 7 21 45

See also: 2017 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Rutgers

1 2 3 4 Total
Scarlet Knights 7 14 7 7 35
Fighting Illini 3 7 0 14 24

See also: 2017 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

At Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 7 0 0 10 17
Golden Gophers 7 0 3 14 24

See also: 2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

Wisconsin

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 5 Badgers 7 10 0 7 24
Fighting Illini 0 3 0 7 10

See also: 2017 Wisconsin Badgers football team

At Purdue

1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 7 3 0 0 10
Boilermakers 7 6 3 13 29

See also: 2017 Purdue Boilermakers football team and Illinois–Purdue football rivalry

Indiana

1 2 3 4 Total
Hoosiers 0 14 3 7 24
Fighting Illini 0 0 7 7 14

See also: 2017 Indiana Hoosiers football team

At Ohio State

1 2 3 4 Total
Fighting Illini 0 0 7 7 14
Buckeyes 28 10 7 7 52

See also: 2017 Ohio State Buckeyes football team and Illibuck Trophy

Northwestern

1 2 3 4 Total
Wildcats 0 14 14 14 42
Fighting Illini 7 0 0 0 7

See also: 2017 Northwestern Wildcats football team and Illinois–Northwestern football rivalry

Roster

2017 Illinois Fighting Illini football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
RB 2 Reggie Corbin  So
QB 3 Jeff George, Jr.  So
WR 4 Ricky Smalling Fr
WR 5 Carmoni Green Fr
QB 7 Chayce Crouch  Jr
WR 8 Dominic Thieman So
WR 9 Sam Mays Jr
QB 10 Cam Thomas Fr
WR 11 Malik Turner Sr
QB 12 Charlie Reinkemeyer Fr
TE 13 Caleb Reams  So
QB 14 Cam Miller  Fr
QB 15 Trenard Davis  So
QB 16 Connor Kelly Fr
WR 17 Kendall Smith Fr
WR 18 Mike Dudek  Jr
TE 19 Louis Dorsey Fr
RB 21 Ra'Von Bonner Fr
RB 22 Kendrick Foster  Sr
RB 26 Mike Epstein Fr
RB 27 Dre Brown  So
RB 29 Christian Bobak  Fr
RB 36 Austin Roberts  Jr
TE 38 Brandon Roberts  Sr
TE 39 Nathan Echard  Sr
TE 45 Henry McGrew  Jr
OL 52 Adam Solomon  So
OL 53 Nick Allegretti  Jr
OL 63 Alex Palczewski Fr
OL 65 Doug Kramer  Fr
OL 66 Jordan Fagan Sr
OL 67 Christian DiLauro  Sr
OL 68 Jake Stover Fr
OL 71 Zeke Martin  So
OL 72 Gabe Megginson  So
OL 73 Jake Cerny  Fr
OL 75 Kurt Gavin  Fr
OL 76 Larry Boyd Fr
OL 79 Vederian Lowe Fr
TE 81 Griffin Palmer  Fr
WR 82 William DuPont Fr
TE 83 Bobby Walker  So
WR 84 James Bartholomew Fr
TE 85 Andrew Trainer  So
RB 88 Brandon Jones  Fr
TE 89 Alex Pihlstrom Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 1 Jaylen Dunlap  Sr
LB 2 Julian Jones Jr
LB 3 Del'Shawn Phillips Jr
DB 4 Bennett Williams Fr
DL 5 James Crawford  Sr
DB 6 Tony Adams Fr
DB 7 Stanley Green So
LB 9 Dele Harding So
LB 10 James Knight Fr
DB 12 Chris James  Jr
DB 20 Harvey Clayton, Jr.  Fr
DB 21 Patrick Nelson  So
DB 23 Frank Sumpter  So
DB 24 Dawson DeGroot Fr
DB 25 Nate Hobbs Fr
DB 26 Evan Jones  Fr
DB 27 Ahmari Hayes  Sr
DB 28 Nolan Bernat So
DB 30 Julian Hylton  Jr
DB 31 Cameron Watkins  So
LB 32 Justice Williams  So
LB 33 Tré Watson  Jr
LB 34 Christion Abercrombie  Fr
LB 35 Jake Hansen So
DB 37 Zach Holman  Jr
LB 41 Jimmy Marchese  So
DB 42 Michael Marchese Fr
LB 44 Drew Murtaugh  Fr
DL 47 Sean Adesanya  Jr
DL 48 Kevin Hinders Fr
LB 52 Ayo Shogbonyo  Fr
LB 54 Marc Mondesir Fr
DL 55 Jamal Milan  So
DL 90 Lere Oladipo Fr
DL 91 Jamal Woods Fr
DL 92 Isaiah Gay Fr
DL 94 Tito Odenigbo  Jr
DL 95 Kenyon Jackson So
DL 96 Tymir Oliver So
DL 97 Bobby Roundtree Fr
DL 98 Deon Pate Fr
DL 99 Owen Carney Jr. Fr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 14 Blake Hayes Fr
K 17 James McCourt  Fr
P 37 Bryce Baringer Fr
P 40 Ryan Tucker  Jr
K 43 Chase McLaughlin  Jr
LS 56 Ethan Tabel  Fr
LS 58 Sean Mills So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Garrick McGee – Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks
  • Hardy Nickerson – Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers
  • Mike Phair – Run Game Coordinator / Defensive Line
  • Bob Ligashesky – Special Teams Coordinator / Tight Ends
  • Donnie Abraham – Safeties
  • Luke Butkus – Offensive Line
  • Andrew Hayes-Stoker – Wide Receivers
  • Thad Ward – Running Backs
  • Paul Williams – Cornerbacks
  • Joe Fotu - Graduate Assistant - Defense
  • Brett Nelson - Graduate Assistant - Offense
  • Shane Toub - Graduate Assistant - Offense
  • Robert Wright - Graduate Assistant - Defense
  • Charles Drewek - Defensive Analyst
  • Kingsley Osei-Asibey - Defensive Analyst
  • Nathan Scheelhaase - Offensive Analyst
  • Tim Knox - Director of Football Operations
  • James Kirkland - Director of Player Personnel
  • Tre' Stallings - Director of Football Player Development
  • Patrick Embleton - Director of Football Student-Athlete Development
  • Nathan McNeal - Director of High School Relations
  • Travis Perry - Graphics/Social Media
  • Joey Boese - Head Football Strength & Conditioning Coach
  • Jeremy Busch - Head Football Athletic Trainer
  • Trent Chestnut - Head Football Equipment Manager
  • Alex Benizzi - Director of Football Video
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 13, 2016

References

  1. ^ "Big Ten Announces 2016 and '17 Football Schedules" (Press release). University of Illinois Department of Athletics. July 11, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "2017 Illinois Fighting Illini Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
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