Training camp begins for Illinois football

(WCIA) — Exactly one month before opening up the 2024 season, Illinois football got to work under the lights.

“I think the use of what we do on gameday is gonna be incredibly impactful for what we’re ready to do on gameday itself against Eastern Illinois,” said head coach Bret Bielema.

Training camp officially began Monday for the 119 members of Illinois’s roster.

“I felt like the guys that we did bring in I feel like they fit what we do athletically and so it’s just a matter of how do they line up, how do they play,” said defensive coordinator Aaron Henry.

This group will be held to high expectations after falling one game short of a bowl game in 2023.

“To be a consistent, dependable unit offensively to where, that doesn’t mean you score a certain amount of points each week,” said offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. “It just means each week, you show up, and there were times last year where we didn’t show up.”

Illinois is permitted to hold 25 practices before opening up the season on August 29 against Eastern Illinois.

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