April 14--During his internship this semester with Illinois' athletics fundraising and ticket offices, senior quarterback Wes Lunt called donors, worked on seating and sold season packages.
"Just been interacting over the phone and learning how we do things," Lunt said. "Really got to know the people who buy the tickets and cheer us on. It's been a really good experience."
It's clear that Lunt, who aspires one day to be an athletic director, is attempting to help Illinois in every way possible. For a program that has had three head coaches in the last nine months and for seniors who have seen a revolving door of coordinators and position coaches, Lunt offers some rare stability.
Even for new coach Lovie Smith.
"I'm very impressed with Wes," Smith said Wednesday on a Big Ten coaches teleconference. "When you come into the program, you like to have a little bit of veteran (leadership), a few upperclassmen. He's poised. He's under control. He can throw the football. He's had success in our conference."
The Illini are trying to improve upon a 5-7 season (2-6 Big Ten) in which they fell short of a bowl bid under former coach Bill Cubit. Lunt said they are eager to move forward.
The former Oklahoma State transfer passed for a career-best 2,761 yards and 14 touchdowns last season but completed only 56.1 percent, in part because of receivers struggling with drops.
While Lunt said he is enthused about the new coaching staff, challenges remain.
The offense was supposed to get a boost from top receiver Mikey Dudek's return from an ACL injury, but he tore the same ligament in practice last week and will sit out a second straight season. Last year's leading receiver, Geronimo Allison, and dual-threat running back Josh Ferguson exhausted their eligibility.
Lunt will also have to adjust to a new offense under coordinator Garrick McGee. Going from Cubit's no-huddle spread to a pro-style attack takes time, and Lunt has been cramming during a rushed spring practice schedule due to Smith's late hiring.
"That's probably been the most difficult thing," Lunt said. "You'll see in every offense the concepts are a lot of the same thing, but the verbiage and the terminology (are) different. Out of the huddle now is completely different. I haven't done that, and this is my fifth year in college.
"It's taken time for everyone to get used to. We've gotten the hang of it, and we'll keep getting better as spring progresses."
There was also an emotional adjustment, he said.
"You build a relationship with every coach," Lunt said. "You spend a lot of time in the film room, talking about football and talking about life. The difficult part is letting that relationship go. It's listening to a new voice and really trusting."
sryan@tribpub.com
