Illini seniors ready for the spotlight
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 25—CHAMPAIGN — No way to know what kind of questions Matthew Bailey, Juice Clarke and Katin Houser will face Tuesday at the Big Ten Media Kickoff in Chicago.
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The trio will represent the Illinois football program at the Hilton Chicago on the first day of the three-session gabfest.
As I have done often through the years, I spent a few minutes with each on Friday afternoon at the Smith Center. The mini-interviews gave the players a hint of what is to come. Albeit with a knowledge-based (38 years covering Illinois football) and non-confrontational tone.
Based on how they performed Friday, a viral moment at "The Fugitive" hotel seems unlikely.
Here is what they had to say:
Matthew. People here (at Illinois) call me Matt. Everybody back home calls me Matthew.
He's a great player. It's all about us. Obviously, everybody's going to be good in the Big Ten. Every week, we're going to have a challenge. He's just another one of those guys we're going to have to play against and do well and execute.
Probably Penn State (in 2024). The environment was awesome. It was tough to come out with a loss (21-7), but it was a great experience.
It means a lot having the community, even from back home (in Moline), supporting me in that way. My family being able to come to games, all that stuff you don't see. That's super special.
Last year, I had 15. There have been times when it's been a lot more.
The first thing that comes to my mind is the Iowa game my freshman year (a 9-6 Illinois victory in 2022). That was super big just with the way recruiting went at that time.
I feel super blessed to speak on behalf of the team or the defense. I wouldn't say it's anything on my end. I just step up to the plate when they call my name to come and do interviews. I enjoy it.
My mom, my dad. They call me Juice, too. They call me "Juice Tone" because that's what my Instagram was in high school. Like I set the tone. Juice was in high school my ninth grade year. My uncle cut hair. He was a barber. His barber shop is called Juice Men.
Jeremiah Smith. I like going against the best receivers, and to me, he is the best receiver. I'm excited to play against him. He's got great ball skills. He's like an NFL receiver.
One of my homeboys, Raekwon Clark, had the No. 6. He was getting highly recruited his junior year. He ended up missing his junior season (because of injury). He came back his senior year, my freshman year. When I got to the school, my first time playing football, I had to sit behind him and learn from him. I was No. 25. I never had the No. 6 in high school. When I got here, I asked Raekwon, "Is it cool if wear the No. 6? Carry out the legacy and keep it going." He was like, "Yeah."
It's going to go crazy. I'm telling Katin Houser to throw the ball up. This will definitely go well. On Wednesday, I was telling (Houser) to throw me the fade ball.
My favorite thing is just the culture. The people here are like a family. The fan base is like a family. That's really why I committed here. My dad (Miguel) went out in the community and people were helping him when he was lost. One thing I don't like about Champaign is it is in the middle of nowhere. But I like that because it keeps you focused.
I got used to the weather.
Concept-wise, I like a quick throw to get me on rhythm. Maybe dump it in the flat, get a 4-5-yard gain to get the chains moving a little bit.
It starts early on in the week. We start scripting the first four or five plays. Toward the end of the week, we'll narrow it down to see what we like.
It was my first number when I started playing football. I was a 5-year-old playing 6-U football. They had a bag of jerseys. They threw me one, and I was No. 4. I have a picture of me when I was a kid wearing my first jersey.
It has either been 4 or 12. At Michigan State, I was No. 12. When I got to (East Carolina), I switched to No. 4. I wore No. 12 because of Tom Brady.
Carson Boyd was No. 4 last year, but he wanted No. 2. Four opened up, and I took it. It worked out great.
Both of them have similar value. Michigan State is going to be really cool. The coaching staff is twice removed. A lot of the players have left. But that's where I started my college career. There's a lot of history there. I met my girlfriend there. Being able to go back there and play that game is going to be really cool moment for me. I played Ohio State at Ohio State before, so this will be my second time going there. It will be a really cool experience with this new team. I'm excited.
From my personal experience, it's been a blessing for me just because at Michigan State, it didn't work out. Obviously, I would have loved to stay there all four years. Going to East Carolina was my opportunity, and I took advantage of it and had a couple good seasons. A lot of the players left. The offensive coordinator left. I felt it was time to make a change. With the transfer portal again, I was able to take the next step in my career and come to Illinois.
That's my father (John), for sure. He played at UTEP (as a defensive lineman). Ever since I said I wanted to play football, he's been in my corner. I wouldn't be here without him.