Kyle,

I don't think Jason Ford's decision will have an impact on Deries Hodge. I think Illinois wants both guys on campus, plus Mikel Leshoure. I think they figured out this year that you can't have too many good running backs on campus, especially with the way they want to run the offense.
If Rashard Mendenhall decides to go pro early, which is a possibility, then Illinois will have multiple options at tailback. And I think the coaches like the idea of the two-back set, which is the formation they used when Daniel Dufrene had his long run/fumble against Ohio State. More of that could be in the offing.
Obviously, Rashard Mendenhall is a great player. But Illinois is setting itself up to thrive after he's gone.

Tom,
I think a lot depends on how Illinois does in the bowl game. If Illinois wins against say, Florida, it will finish in the Top 10 this season. When voters decide preseason polls they look at two things: previous year finish and number of returning starters, especially key guys (quarterback, receivers, tailbacks, stars on defense). Give Illinois a win in the bowl and no major defections other than Rashard Mendenhall and I'd say No. 7 going into next season.
Of course, that ranking will get a test immediately from a team that will be ranked even higher, Missouri. The Tigers should be preseason top five next year if Chase Daniel returns.

Chester,
I'm trying to find out Deries Hodge's status, but information is difficult to come by. The coach at Milford Academy is tight-lipped about his players and the Illinois coaches can't comment.
There are some academic issues, but Illinois definitely has not given up on him. While you can't eliminate him from a January enrollment, my guess is he will likely have to finish the school year at Milford.
Ford's commitment doesn't really have any impact on Hodge. The Illinois coaches want to have a strong class of running backs in 2008.

Hi Matt, I can imagine what it must be like in Carolina country. But at least in Maui the Illinois fans were equal -- and quite a bit noisier -- than the ACC fans from Duke. The semifinal matchup in Maui was more competitive than the score indicated, and one of the best environments for a college basketball game I've seen. (Think we had Duke at No. 4 in our AP Top 25 ballot this week. They look like a Final Four contender from this vantage point.) As far as the Challenges, I do think the Big Ten is catching up in terms of recruiting and that should pay off in the future. But as I said above, the gap is cavernously (is that a word?) wide and has been for the better part of the last four, five years.

Jack Daly, a good friend, covers UNC hoops for the Durham Herald-Sun. Very good beat writer. Look him up, Matt, you'll enjoy his work, even though it's Carolina. Thanks for the question.

Kyle,
I believe there is a chance both could be on campus. Of course, it's possible that neither will ever play at Illinois. I know both players want to come to Illinois and both have the talent to play at a high level.
Deries Hodge had an unusual high school experience, going to four places in four years. He is trying to overcome that experience to play at Illinois. I really think he'll thrive if he makes it to campus because of the academic support available. Same goes for Anthony Morris.
Another Thornton player, Craig Wilson, didn't make it academically out of high school. But he went to a prep school, became eligible and has a bright future with the Illini.

Jim,
Both players apparently felt more comfortable with the Illini than with the Hawkeyes. That's exactly what Jason Ford said to me when we talked Monday. He has been to the Illinois campus five or six times and I can't imagine him changing his mind again. With a successful season, it's very easy for Illinois to retain kids. Or pull kids away from other schools.
I haven't talked to Russell Ellington, but I do know that his teammate Supo Sanni had to play a part in the decision. Sanni is coming here and is fired up about it.
I think the Illinois coaches are going about this the right way. They aren't pushing the kids who are committed to other schools, but they are presenting options.
Iowa's struggles on the field have helped the Illini in recruiting. The Hawkeyes are likely going to get left out of the postseason.

Mike,
Seating capacity is only going up to about 62,000, so it won't be difficult to keep selling the place out. First, I think people are going to want to see the new building. So that adds to the interest. Illinois couldn't have timed this better. The team is playing well and will be expected to contend for a Big Ten title next season. They've got Iowa and Ohio State coming to Memorial Stadium, which always mean extra outside fans. I'll be real surprised if Illinois doesn't sell out the season, even with 5,000 more seats.
Nobody has said yet what the school is going to do about the horseshoe season tickets. A smart idea, in my mind, would be to raise the price only a big, maybe up to $15. The renewal rate at that price will be close to 100 percent.
If Ron Zook is able to keep this thing going for a few years, there will be a push to add capacity to the stadium. The school has set it up so that will be fairly easy to do. But it won't happen unless the on-field product warrants it.
The concession stands will continue to get upgraded. Nobody wants that more than the guy in charge, who has all sort of ideas on how to make it a better atmosphere. This year was a mess because of the construction, but it should be fixed for 2008.

Matt,
Thanks for the kind words about the podcasts. We enjoy doing them too.
We don't know where the people are downloading them from, but we do know the numbers have climbed steadily since we started. That's all good.
Tell your friends. We appreciate an audience.

Bob said I'm at the Lincoln Memorial. Not true. But Bob IS at Dairy Queen for the third time today.

Hi Kyle. I think more is going to come out as the season wears on. It may be after the season or it may be tomorrow. But it's not over. You might recall a story I wrote a few weeks ago about IU's recruitment of Rodney Alexander. He had some interesting things to say, from a first-hand perspective. The best source of news that I've found on IU hoops lately is the Bloomington Herald Times and beat writer Chris Korman.

Right now the Hoosiers better be ready Saturday when they travel to Carbondale. If SIU can get some production on the perimeter, they have a good shot at the upset. Randal Falker is playing like the best player in the MVC, which he is, and Bryan Mullins and Ty Green will slow EJ Gordon, though no one has shut him down. USC used multiple ballhandlers to handle the Salukis' defensive pressure and beat them in Anaheim, and I think that's one area where the absence of Jordan Crawford will hurt the Hoosiers. Still, this IU squad might be the best team to visit the Saluki Dome since Bird's Sycamores.

Andrew,

I think the school will look first at internal candidates. After that, it will go outside and look at current athletic directors. Northern Illinois' Jim Phillips would be a logical starting point, but there are others.

Ron Guenther will have a large say in picking his replacement. He has certainly earned that right with all his good work over the years. And he is thrilled to see football get turned around just as the stadium is being redone.

That's it for this week. We'll have complete coverage from College Park in Thursday's paper. And we'll be back next week for another chat.