Craig Drummond: Kindly Get Back On Board

Craig,

You committed to the Zooker back in November but now have re-opened your commitment and are considering the likes of Michigan St., Ole Miss and, most recently, the Syracuse Orangemen.

Hey Craig, what's up that?

You are from Illinois, my friend. You go to high school outside Chicago at Morgan Park High. Do I have to tell you that those other three schools are not in the state of Illinois? Where's the loyalty for your home state? Don't you realize how huge you would be in Chicago and the entire state of Illinois if you followed through on your initial commitment and dominated in Champaign for four years. You'd be the next Juice Williams. Except on defense. It'd be epic.

What's got you down about Illinois? Is it the whole Blagojevich thing? Are you upset Obama is no longer one of the state's two senators? Are you disappointed with the Zooker's defensive coaching changes? I hope whatever the problem is we can get it ironed out before you sign with another school. I think you would really like Champaign and I can tell you, watching the Illini last season, they can use a player of your tenacity and demonstrated skill. Sirod Williams is back, but the Illini need you to come in and compete with Josh Brent, Corey Liuget and would-be fellow freshmen beasts, Cornelius Carradine and Lendell Buckner.

So, please, Craig, get to know new D-Line coach Keith Gilmore and go ahead and sign that LOI with the Illini. I'm certain you won't regret it.

Best,
Bevormo

[Update 1/26/09: Well, Craig, I see you have gone and chosen Ole Miss and are heading to Oxford to enroll as early as tomorrow. Dubious decision as far as I'm concerned, though, granted, rumor has it the ladies of the SEC may be a bit more alluring than the ladies of the Big Ten. I can't say for certain if that's true, that's just a rumor I've heard. Anyway, good luck. But if the Illini ever see you in a bowl game I hope Andrew Carter and the other Illini O-Linemen put you on your backside.]

Keith Gilmore Is New D-Line Coach

Congrats to Keith Gilmore, the new Illini D-Line coach. The Illini will need improvements on the D-Line next season so I hope Coach Gilmore can get the job done.

Some things about Coach Gilmore's career that jump out at me:

- he has a BS in Recreation Management at Michigan St.;

- coached under Brian Kelley at Cincy that past few seasons, including in some big games, like this year Orange Bowl;

- got his start at Wayne St. coaching linebackers and running backs;

- worked at Howard in Washington D.C. from 2002-2005 as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator.

In short, there's nothing that really jumps out at me about Gilmore's background. He seems like a solid coach who has worked his way up the ladder, earning his keep at each rung. He'll probably coach well and, if he can recruit, could be a stellar hire by the Zooker, as per the Zooker's usual practice.