March 31--Lovie Smith has been coordinating a whirlwind spring at Illinois. As the new coach in Champaign for only a month, Smith has had to quickly assemble a staff and hit the recruiting trail hard.
Next up: Get on the field.
With spring practice starting Friday, there's no time to waste -- as evidenced by the 15 sessions that mostly begin at 6 a.m. and wrap up April 26.
Smith said this week he was eager to learn more about the players.
"You start everything from scratch," he said. "You don't have a lot of preconceived notions. There's only so much you can do observing, watching video. We need to get on the football field."
As they settle in under Smith, the Illini are looking to build off a 5-7 season that was filled with turmoil. Here are a few storylines to watch this spring:
Welcome back: The biggest boost will be the return of receiver Mikey Dudek, who sat out last season with a torn ACL he suffered in spring practice a year ago.
Dudek set a school freshman record in 2014 with 1,038 receiving yards and 76 receptions. He also caught six touchdown passes and led FBS freshmen with 79.8 receiving yards per game.
Dropped passes plagued the Illini last season, and they lose a big target in Geronimo Allison. Dudek's return should give quarterback Wes Lunt a reliable playmaker.
The return of Justin Hardee from a broken foot that sidelined him last season could add depth to the receiving corps.
Secondary issue: The Illini lost three starters from the secondary: cornerbacks V'Angelo Bentley (54 tackles, six pass breakups) and Eaton Spence (42 tackles, three interceptions) and safety Clayton Fejedelem, who led the team with 140 tackles.
Safety Taylor Barton returns after a much-improved junior season in which he had 56 tackles and four interceptions, but other defensive backs will need to emerge. Junior Jaylen Dunlap and seniors Darius Mosley and Caleb Day will have a chance to step up.
New faces: Two members of the 2016 recruiting class enrolled early and will participate in spring practice: quarterback Eli Peters and defensive back Ahmari Hayes, a junior-college transfer. Also enrolling in January and going through his first spring practice is defensive back Trenard Davis, a 2015 signee who spent the fall at Parkland College.
Spring day: The Illini won't hold their annual Orange-Blue scrimmage but will have a free open practice at 1 p.m. April 16. It's the only chance for fans to get a glimpse of the Illini in the spring.
Starting off: Illinois kicks off the Smith era Sept. 3 at Memorial Stadium against Murray State. The Illini play two more home nonconference games against North Carolina and Western Michigan before the nine-game Big Ten schedule begins Oct. 1 at Nebraska.
