Moderator: Welcome back to another chat. Thanks for all of your great questions. Camp Rantoul is six weeks away. I can't wait.

A couple of reminders: if you think of any questions later in the week, feel free to email me at asmussen@news-gazette.com. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Also, you can check out our upcoming coverage by following me on twitter. Just go to twitter/BobAsmussen and it doesn't cost anything.

Now, off to the questions.

Bob, Wheaton, IL: Given the recent successes at receiver and quarterback, can we expect to see this translate into success recruiting elite offensive linemen?

Moderator: Bob,

That would make a lot of sense. The 2010 class has one offensive line commitment (Shawn Afryl), but I know that Illinois is after several other top players.

It seems to be a decent year in Illinois for offensive linemen. And Illinois will always start its recruiting in the state. When you look at the likely offensive line starters for 2009, there could be two from Illinois (Jon Asamoah and Jeff Allen). There are other Illinois products in the two-deep.

The tricky part with linemen is that you never know how they are going to pan out. You can say the same thing about other positions, but it's really true with the big guys.

Illini1973, Belleville, ILL...ini: I can see where we may be favored now for the majority of our schedule (opponents have more 'holes to fill' on paper than us and our offense is ‘longer in the tooth’). But I’m of the opinion, at best, the majority of our schedule is a ‘toss up’. What concerns me the most is our defense: the line which was thought to be a strength is now neutral at best because of lack of depth, LB inexperience, secondary unproven. And special teams (punting and coverage = short field) could be our Achilles heel. We could win the statistical battle but lose the game. Your thoughts?

Moderator: Illini1973,

You hit it right on the head with the tossup idea. I don't think, on paper, Illinois has that many sure wins. Illinois State, Indiana and Purdue would be the three I'd start with.

Of course, I don't think Illinois will be a heavy underdog in many games either. Ohio State for sure. Penn State, maybe. That's it.

Missouri, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Cincinnati and Fresno State are the tossup games. But Illinois could be the favorite in a majority of those games by the time they roll around.

You make very good points about the defense and special teams. The offense should be a strength, but will it have to win every game? Dan Disch and Curt Mallory and Ron Zook hope not.

One thing we probably haven't talked about much is that the Illinois offense will be hard to prepare for, especially early in the season. Mike Schultz will add wrinkles and opposing defensive coordinators won't know for sure what the Illinois offense will look like.

Jason, Bloomington, IL: Bob,

Are all freshmen (walk-ons included) required to be down on campus right now, or do they just have to be there if they are taking summer classes? Besides working out, what else are they doing? Thanks.

Moderator: Jason,

Required might be too strong of a word. I would say the freshmen are encouraged to be on campus. If you want to play during the upcoming season, it makes sense to be on campus now.

There are big advantages to being in school during the summer. You can get a jump on your classwork without having to take a full load. You get to know your teammates, both the guys in your class and the veterans. And you have a chance to learn the offense and defense under less-than-stressful conditions. It's a great way to prepare for Camp Rantoul and the upcoming season.

I ran into Nathan Scheelhaase and Justin Green on Saturday at the 7-on-7 tournament. It sounded like they are enjoying being here now.

Mike DeFelice, Sevilla, Spain: Hey, Bob. I need my weekly Josh Brent fix. Do you have anything further regarding a potential suspension?

Moderator: Mike,

Nothing official. Ultimately, it will come down to Ron Guenther and the school administration. If Josh Brent stays out of trouble between now and Camp Rantoul, I think there is a chance he can avoid a suspension.

His attorney, Tony Novak, praised his client and said Brent deserves a second chance. I think that will be the case.

The guy is serving jail time. Maybe that should be enough.

David, Champaign, IL: Illinois has been recruiting well in Illinois and has gotten commits from Florida and Michigan, all the prospects have been really good. Who do you think may become the next commit and do you think Illinois can land Prater or another big name prospect of his caliber?

Moderator: David,

I'm not sure who it will be, but it won't be Kyle Prater. Not now. He's going to announce his decision at the U.S. Army All-American game in January.

Don't yell at me if it goes another way, but I have a hunch Prater will pick Illinois. There are many strong factors in Illinois' favor, including proximity and Prater's relationship with the guys on the team and other recruits. Chandler Whitmer is going to work on him.

I also think, based on talking to him for five minutes Saturday, that landing C.J. Fiedorowicz is a strong possibility for Illinois. Again, just a hunch. He was impressive on the field and seems like a nice kid off of it. I met his parents and they also were very friendly.

David, Champaign, IL: Illinois has become a good recruiting school in the last few years under Zook. He and his staff have brought in players like Benn, I. Williams, Brent, and others on a hope and a promise. Will Zook be able to bounce back this season and get to a good bowl like Capitol One, Alamo, ...? Also, is Zook mainly a recruiting coach or can he also really coach?

Moderator: David,

I think it's possible. There are three or four key games that will determine the Ilinois season: Missouri, Michigan State, Minnesota and Cincinnati. Win three or four of those, and Illinois has a good chance to be playing in one of the Big Ten's better bowls.

Every time I get asked about Ron Zook's coaching, I point back to his final year at Florida. He had been fired and still managed to win three of his last four games, including beating rival Florida State. Keeping that team together was impressive. He also won at Ohio State and Michigan in his first four seasons. That's pretty good, too.

Meatman, Boynton Beach, FL.: Bob I really enjoy the job you do on your chats. What about the punting? I don't remember a punter that ever improved that much from one year to the next. What makes us think that will happen this year with the same cast? Special teams did us in more than anything else. What do you see that will make that different?

Moderator: Meatman,

Thanks for the kind words. Tell your friends.

All players have the ability to improve. Anthony Santella wasn't happy with the way he punted in 2008 and has worked hard to get better. And it isn't just on him. The snap, blocking and coverage all need to be good.

I checked the records of past Illinois punters and you are mostly right. There haven't been big jumps. But a couple of them, including Forry Wells and Steve Fitts, made good jumps in their senior seasons.

Steve Weatherford's best year, average-wise, was his junior season. Illinois got a bit spoiled with four years each of Fitts and Weatherford. Only one of those eight seasons (Weatherford in 2002) was below 40.

David, Champaign, IL: The offense should be pretty strong this season and the concern may be the defense. Who will be the big player or players this year on the defense that will step up?

Moderator: David,

Start with the guy we wrote about earlier: Josh Brent. Put him in the lineup with Corey Liuget and Illinois has as solid a defensive tackle tandem as anywhere in the Big Ten.

Donsay Hardeman could play a key role if he is able to return from his neck injury. Ron Zook said Saturday that Hardeman is progressing well and sounds optimistic about his return.

And you can't talk about the Illinois defense without mentioning Martez Wilson. Middle linebacker might be his happy place.

Ron, Naperville, IL: Hey Bob- Any idea why the delay in announcing game times for 2009? By July 2nd last year, we had game times set for the first 8 games. So far this year, we have one home game set and we're the only Big Ten team to not even announce our Homecoming time.

Moderator: Ron,

I didn't realize so many games times were known that early last season.

Part of it has to do with the breakdown of the Illinois schedule. Last year, the team had three games before taking a week off. This year, it's two games and then a break. The Big Ten's television partners don't want to announce the Sept. 26 games any earlier than they have to. I'm thinking the Illinois-Ohio State game will be on ABC at 2:30, but nothing is official.

Cincinnati will be decided soon. It will either be 11 a.m. or 6/7 p.m. With a new deadline, I'm rooting for the morning game, even though it will mean less time for turkey.

I don't think there will be any other night games. So, count on 11 a.m. (most times) and 2:30 p.m. (two times, maybe) for the rest of the games.

Steve, Champ Co., IL: Thanks Bob for your time. We know going to (and winning!!!!) back to back bowl games is the next big thing for Illini football near term. What are 2-3 other big things Zook should accomplish in the near term to become etched in Illini football greatness? Let's get this done.

Moderator: Steve,

To his credit, I don't think Ron Zook is worried about being etched in Illinois football greatness. It would be a sign of trouble if he was.

To create a legacy, Zook's team need to do more than go to bowl games. They need to contend for the Big Ten title in multiple seasons and threaten to make BCS games in consecutive years.

The best run in the last 20 years at Illinois was John Mackovic's four-year stretch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As good as those teams were, they didn't go to one of the BCS games. Zook has already been to one.

Chris, Romeoville, ILLINI: I am curious do you think illinois football will ever be the class of the big ten?

Moderator: Chris,

The answer is always the same: anything is possible.

Unlike 20 years ago, Illinois no longer is behind its rivals in terms of facilities. It has a nice building, a great weight room and a competitive locker room. Camp Rantoul is a plus. So is the level of talent in the state.

The argument against is the history at the school. One year on, one year off. That isn't the way to become the class of the Big Ten.

The reality is it can't happen in a year. Or two. It would take a decade of consistent winning and a failure by two/three other schools: Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. Michigan had its blip last year. If the Wolverines don't recover, that helps Illinois. Joe Paterno will eventually retire at Penn State and maybe the transition won't go well.

It's hard to see anything going wrong at Ohio State given the talent in the state and the commitment to football at the school. But there have been down times in Columbus in the past.

Loren Tate will scream that it will never happen. I don't agree with the word "never."

Rob, Champaign, Illinois: Which Fighting Illini have chances at being all-big ten and all-american candidates?

Moderator: Rob,

For All-American, Arrelious Benn is at the top of the list. Juice Williams has a chance, though the competition is unbelievable. A more reachable goal for him is All-Big Ten.

Other All-Big Ten candidates include tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, offensive lineman Jon Asamoah, defensive linemen Josh Brent and Corey Liuget and linebacker Martez Wilson.

Jimmy, Bloomington, IL: How big of a role does Benn and his success this season play into the recruitment of Prater?

Moderator: Jimmy,

Top recruits like Kyle Prater want to see that a school will use him a lot, especially early in his career. Benn was a top player as a freshman at Illinois and he can tell Prater all about it.

A bigger factor might be Benn's future. If he turns pro early, as expected, it opens a go-to receiver hole for Prater.

Rich, Chicago, IL: How different will the offense be this year under the new OC?

For example, will the players still look to the sidelines for the plays, or will Juice be given leeway to call audibles?

Thanks

Roy, New Orleans, LA: Bob,

You brought up OC Schultz previously. I believe that he will turn out to be our most valuable new comer this year and for years to come. Although Locksley was a great recruiter and upgraded the athletic talent on the team, we paid for on-the-job training on game days. What we might lose in recruiting I think we gain greatly in X's and O's which will translate to more W's. What are your first impressions of Schultz?

Moderator: Rich and Roy,

Mike Locksley helped Illinois get to the Rose Bowl and played a large role in the improvement of Juice Williams, so I don't think the on-the-job training hurt the Illini.

Mike Schultz offers a change. He won't call plays the same way as Locksley. I've been very impressed with both his football knowledge and his personality. The players like him and respect him, which will make the transition very easy. Moving Kurt Beathard to work with the quarterbacks also helps.

I'm not sure how the plays will be signaled, but I'm guessing it will be similar to past seasons.

Tom, Winnetka, IL: Bob,

I have always enjoyed the atmosphere surrounding college football. A large part of making an enjoyable Saturday is the marching bands. Do you have any idea if the Marching Illini will be doing anything to change up their routine? The outline of the US with the state of Illinois inside has been terrific but I think it has been around a bit too long.

Moderator: Tom,

Ron Zook has ordered band practice to be closed, though I hear they are in on several top tuba players. Just kidding.

I will check into any possible changes and get back to you.

Generally, bands like to stick with what they've done in the past. But they are also willing to add new wrinkles.

You are right about bands adding to the atmosphere of college football.

Moderator: I'm going to cut it off for the day.

Thanks for all of your great questions. Next week's chat might be a bit later in the day. I'll let you know as soon as possible.