S-S-S-Signing Day!

Today is signing day in the world of college football.

The Zooker's class isn't as heralded as in years past - at last look on Scout.com I counted only 1 four-star recruit, 6 three-star recruits and the rest 2 and 1 star guys - but there are some hidden gems.

Chandler Whitmer, for instance, is a Drew Brees-clone who will compete for the starting QB job with Jacob Charest and Nathan Scheelhaase.

Another interesting character is Trulon Henry, Arrelious Benn's 25-year old, ex-felon, half-brother. He's a safety and no doubt adept at keeping guys from going deep on him.

Some offensive line help will come from big kids Shawn Afryl and Alex Hill. Hill, a Louisiana kid, was originally committed to Duke but changed his mind once the Zooker gave him some love.

Finally, Earnest Thomas, a three-star safety out of Orchard Lake, MI, has some speed and looks to be a big hitter. He may get some immediate playing time in Vic Koenning's new D.

Get r dun, Zook!

Whitmer ... Nike MVP

Chandler,

Nice work on winning the MVP award at the Nike Camp in Champaign this weekend. I see you beat out, among others, three of the top QB prospects from the state of Michigan.

Of course you did.

From what I hear "you were the day's most consistent passer, showing great accuracy, footwork and coachability."

Looking forward to seeing you in the Orange and Blue in Fall 2010.

Best,
Bevormo

ps - Incidentally, I learned about your MVP award by e-mail from my advisor, Tatt Mareeco. Mareeco, as you may or may not know, is a die-hard Michigan fan. I'm pretty sure you've earned a begrudging respect in Mareeco's eyes by winning the award this weekend, a feeling I'm sure you'll cement by torching the Michigan defense for 4 TD passes sometime in the Fall of 2012.

Chandler Whitmer ... Another Snake By The Zooker

Chandler,

Just heard today that you gave a verbal to the Illini and added your name to the Zooker's 2010 recruiting class.

I don't you know you well - not at all, actually - but based on just this information alone I can tell you've got a good head on your shoulders. You're a Chicago kid after all and you put all the mularkey from out-of-state schools aside and said, "Hey, I'm going to the state school because I love my state and it's a great school and Ron Zook is a beast." I mean you didn't actually say that - I'm imagining what you probably said to someone, or at least thought to yourself at some point - but that to me shows a mature streak not often seen in high school junior.

On top of all that you had an offer from Stanford of all places. Basically you're like John Elway if John Elway had decided to go to Illinois.

I like that.

The way I see it, because Zook is such a recruiting beast, when you arrive at Camp Rantoul in August 2010, you'll be in competition with a few stud QBs already. Guys like Eddie McGee, Jacob Charest and Nathan Scheelhase. All those guys look to be beasts for the next few years for the Illini. I'm sure you'll learn from them and then, say in September 2012 or 2013 or thereabouts, you'll be ready to lead the Illini to the promised land.

Bottom line is that success on offense in football starts at the quarterback position. And the Zooker, with a little help from Mike Schultz, has made sure that the Illini are stacked there for a good long time.

Welcome to the Illini.

Best,
Bevormo