Writing Illini

Welcome to Writing Illini, your go-to source for news and insights about the Illinois Fighting Illini, powered by the FanSided Network. At Writing Illini, we focus on delivering high-quality news, perspectives, and original articles about the Fighting Illini. This platform also acts as a community hub where fans can connect, stay updated on the latest happenings, and share their enthusiasm for the team.

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Transfer portal a big change? House settlement says, “Hold my beer”

7 hours ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

The college landscape has been forever altered, as a big revenue bomb was dropped on Friday night. Many fans are still processing the fact that a college athlete can transfer at the drop of a hat, but on Friday night, the House settlement lawsuit decision dropped, and everything changed. The transfer portal was just a baby step in what is now happening in college sports. There are over 70 pages to the decision, and that is a lot to read for many.
College Football 26 giving Illinois football fans chance to boost NIL

18 hours ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

You can play video games and help Illinois football raise some serious NIL money. The playing field when it comes to earning NIL dollars might be swaying in favor of the Illinois football program. In the current iteration of Name, Image, and Likeness, it is essentially that whoever has a rich donor base can bring in the most NIL dollars.
Ugly Illinois football past hindered College Football 25 NIL dollars

19 hours ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

While the Illinois football program is on the rise, the past has come back to bite us in the butt. Illinois football made its triumphant return to video games last season with the release of College Football 25. It had been over a decade since fans could play as the Illini in a video game. That all changed with the ability for players to make money through Name, Image, and Likeness.
Illinois football enters crucial weekend for the class of 2026

2 days ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

With so much at stake, Illinois football looks to secure more commitments after a busy official visit weekend. While the shock of it already being June sets in, the Illinois football program is preparing for a big month. Bret Bielema has the Illini on the right track when it comes to recruiting. Numerous top 50 classes have led to what we are seeing for the class of 2026. Illinois currently has the No. 14 class in the country with 16 recruits pledged. Illinois is nowhere near finished, though.
Top tier offensive lineman notes Bret Bielema success after Illinois offer

2 days ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

Illinois football is building through recruiting, and landing this massive talent would be a great start to the future. The Illinois football team is trying to build a great program, and honestly, we are on the doorstep right now. One great 10-win season doesn’t make you a great program. Stacking those 10-win seasons and knocking off good teams is what can make you great. The Illini are on the verge of this, as success has started to pile up, and recruiting is going well.
The 2025-26 Illinois basketball schedule strength getting ratcheted up

2 days ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

This might be the toughest non-conference schedule I have seen for the Illinois basketball program in my lifetime. Coming off a rough ending to the 2024-25 campaign, the Illinois basketball team is looking to get back to the heights we reached just a couple of seasons ago. The Illini had talent last season, but we just couldn’t put it together. There would be times Illinois looked like the best team in the country. And then there were other times when we looked like Bethune Cookman could beat us.
Where Illinois basketball will find its 3-point spark for 2025-26

3 days ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

Illinois basketball wasn't good from beyond the three-point arc last season, but where will the spark come from in 2025-26? Over the years, Brad Underwood has transformed Illinois basketball into a three-point shooting program. That doesn’t mean we can make them, though. The Illini is a three-point shooting team, but we aren’t a good one, or at least we weren’t last season. For the 2024-25 campaign, Illinois attempted 30.1 three-pointers per game, which ranked No. 5 in the country.
Illinois football one step closer to landing in-state tight end

3 days ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

In need of some tight end help, the Illinois football program has multiple lines in the water for this key position. The Illinois football team has a great class of 2026 so far, but the momentum needs to continueIt is official visit season, as recruits from all over the country check out their top schools. A part of the official visit season is commitments. That is why the Illini have dropped in their national recruiting ranking.
Illinois basketball taking non-conference challenge head-on

4 days ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

Brad Underwood has never backed down from a challenge, and now Illinois basketball is playing some elite competition in 2025-26. Some programs like to play cupcake non-conference schedules, but that hasn’t been the case for the Illinois basketball program under Brad Underwood. Since Underwood took over the program, the Illini have been willing to take on the best teams in the country, whether it be in the Big Ten, non-conference, or NCAA tournament.
Illinois football legends don the College Football Hall of Fame ballot

4 days ago | writingillini.com | Rees Woodcock

For multiple years, these two Illinois football players have been on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, but maybe this is their year to get in. Over the coming years, the Illinois football team is going to produced numerous great players. These great players will help the Illini win games and go on to play in the NFL. While we wait for the development of these young players, it is also good to honor the greats of yesteryear.