Ep. 1131 - Isaac Trotter previews No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 3 Michigan

Illini Inquirer Podcast: An Illinois Fighting Illini athletics podcast

247Sports, Illinois, Illinois Football, Illinois Basketball, Illinois Athletics, College Football, C

Sports, Football

4.9 • 574 Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner discusses Illinois football's new assistant coaches before previewing No. 10 Illinois basketball hosting No. 3 Michigan on Friday. Trotter breaks down Morez Johnson Jr.'s growth at Michigan after transferring from Illinois, where each team has an advantage and an X-factor for either side.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Today on the online inquire podcast, let's preview a top 10 matchup at State Farm Center as number three Michigan and Merez Johnson Jr. come to Champaign,
0:24.2	going against Illinois, number 10 in the country despite that loss to UCLA, looking for a bounce
0:30.1	back. Maybe it doesn't have the Big Ten title ramifications that we hope for. Maybe doesn't have
0:35.8	the opportunity for Illinois to get a number one
0:38.0	seat in the NCAA tournament, but still a monster matchup, a chance for Illinois to bounce back
0:43.0	and a chance for Illinois to prove that yes, it still is a final four contender and can take
0:48.5	out one of the best teams in the country. Isaac Trotter 24-7 Sports and CBS Sports.com will join us to preview this
0:56.9	matchup. We'll break down how Marais Johnson Jr. has grown as a sophomore under Dusty May
1:01.8	at Michigan and we'll break down this matchup where Illinois might have an edge, where Michigan
1:07.7	has an edge, the X factors in this matchup, and where Isaac Trotter
1:12.3	is leaning in this one. We'll also talk a little bit about the Big Ten. But before we get to
1:17.3	Isaac, I do think we need to talk a little bit about the Illinois football staff, which is mostly
1:22.1	complete. Illinois and Brett B.O. We need to fill out some other positions lower on the staff here,
1:28.6	but he has filled all of his major assistant coaching positions here.
1:34.2	So seven of the top 12 positions on this coaching staff are new guys.
1:40.4	This was a huge season of transition for the roster after losing so many seniors, but it has ended up a huge season of transition for the coaching staff as well.
1:50.7	So new to this staff, running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley, Tidex coach Jared Elliott, defensive coordinator, Bobby Hauke, defensive line coach Jordan Thomas, inside linebackers coach
2:02.8	Roger Cooper, safety's coach Ronnie Bradford. And I did include Chris Hurd as a new one on this
2:09.7	staff. So I guess you could go six to 12 because he has been on the staff as a special team's
2:13.7	assistant, but he is being bumped up to special teams coordinator to replace
2:18.3	Robbie Disher in that role. So half of that, at least, is new to the program, seven in new
2:25.2	positions here. So let's break it down, shall we? Two new roles on the offensive staff, but
	...

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