Illinois Football: One Player Bret Bielema Continues to Praise

Illinois Football: One Player Bret Bielema Continues to Praise

Illinois Football is kicking off its spring ball season. As the offseason progresses and the regular season draws near, there seems to be a little bit of caution heading into Bret Bielema’s fourth season. Last year, there seemed to be a significant amount of hype. Illinois had its best season in over a decade, despite a rather poor end to the season. They had spent time inside the college football top 25 and had chances to win the Big Ten West.

However, the 2023 season did not go as most would have liked. The Illini went a disappointing 5-7 despite returning a lot of key veteran players. Now, Illinois Football will start anew. Bret Bielema does a good job selling his team and product, however, he seems to continue praising one specific player.

Redshirt Sophomore: Donovan Leary

Donovan Leary is a redshirt sophomore quarterback who has been patient during his time at Illinois. Though Luke Altmyer seems like the probable starter given his proven athleticism and playmaking ability, Bret Bielema seems extremely confident in Leary’s ability. Leary seems to have the stable, game-managing skills that Bret Bielema tends to gravitate towards. John Paddock was able to thrive in that same situation and even took over the starting job to end the year.

The Illinois Quarterback Room has become talented. Besides Leary and Altmyer, Trey Petty and Cal Swanson are intriguing prospects who will do well with a few years of development. Illinois also landed the commitment of Carson Boyd, a St. Louis prospect with power-five offers. Competition is a necessity. After years of mediocrity and subpar play in the quarterback room, Bret Bielema and Barry Lunney have done an outstanding job of improving the floor of the room.