CHAMPAIGN 鈥 Hugh Robertson has had some lighter days this month in Illinois鈥 training camp. And not just because the redshirt junior from Melbourne, Australia, is the third-oldest player in college football at 31.
The Illini staff knows what they have in their returning starting punter, and keeping Robertson fresh now could pay dividends later in the season.
鈥淥bviously, Hugh is like my age,鈥 Robby Discher joked. The Illinois special teams coordinator is 38. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 go out and punt every day. It鈥檚 been good for him. Vet day rest, right? It鈥檚 like he鈥檚 in the league.鈥
Robertson understands the reasoning behind limiting some of his training-camp activity. That feeling his best for game day is important. But he鈥檇 still rather be on the field perfecting his craft.
鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 tough because I love punting,鈥 Robertson said Monday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an art, and you want to keep practicing your art. It鈥檚 always hard to stop yourself from overdoing it because you鈥檙e always striving for perfection. It鈥檚 not that easy to get, so you have to keep practicing 鈥 trying to get that balance throughout the season where I鈥檓 ready for game day but also able to improve my skills.鈥
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Robertson earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition in 2023 in his second season as Illinois鈥 starting punter. He averaged 42.7 yards per punt and had 17 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. It was an improvement from his first year as starter, which got off to a rough start, and improved as the season progressed.
鈥淲hen I first got out there, I probably didn鈥檛 have that overall confidence in my ability,鈥 Robertson said. 鈥淎s I鈥檝e grown into the role and doing my job for the team, I鈥檝e felt more comfortable. I know I鈥檓 going to go out there and do a great thing rather than being like, 鈥極h, (expletive), this is nerve-racking.鈥
Limiting Robertson鈥檚 reps in this year鈥檚 training camp has created more opportunity for redshirt freshman Declan Duley and redshirt junior Fabrizio Pinton, who splits his time at kicker and punter. Duley is Robertson鈥檚 primary backup but redshirted in 2023 after not appearing in any games.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got a big leg, and when he hits it, it looks really good,鈥 Discher said of Duley. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been building the consistency, which he鈥檚 been better at that. Of the specialist positions, punter takes the longest to develop and get comfortable with. Luckily Declan is super talented, and he鈥檚 grown every day on just the consistency aspect.鈥
Tight ends to special teams connection
Discher also coaches Illinois鈥 tight ends. It shouldn鈥檛 be surprising, then, to see those players wind up on special teams.
鈥淲ell, A, the good thing is they want to be, but, B, they don鈥檛 have a choice,鈥 Discher quipped.
Discher hopes the example Tip Reiman set last year resonated with the tight ends still on the roster. The former Illini started all 12 games at tight end in 2023 but also played on essentially every special teams unit. That experience, Discher said, helped Reiman wind up a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
鈥淭hat helped his draft stock because he could do all that,鈥 Discher said. 鈥淗e was a really good in-line blocker and smart and crushed all the meetings and worked out really well, but having that stuff on film definitely helped out Tip. I could see that hopefully doing the same for those guys, too.鈥
Wilcher learning balance
Kenari Wilcher is one of the fastest players on the Illinois roster. It鈥檚 part of the reason why the 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver got on the field last year as a true freshman. His was a skill set the Illini wanted both at wide receiver and as a kick returner.
But there can be such a thing as being too fast. Wilcher has had to find the balance of when to slow down and when to turn on the jets.
鈥淲ith me being so fast, you tend to overrun the (passing) windows,鈥 Wilcher said. 鈥淕oing slow to fast, making me get open easier, has really helped me. Sometimes I feel like if go too fast, maybe I鈥檒l be out of the quarterback鈥檚 vision too fast. Me and (quarterback Luke Altmyer) have been on the same page.鈥
Finding that balance is a feel thing. It鈥檚 something Wilcher has worked on with Illinois wide receivers coach Justin Stepp in the run-up to the 2024 season.
鈥淲hen we talk in our room, timing is in relation to the quarterback and when he鈥檚 supposed to throw it,鈥 Stepp said. 鈥(Wilcher) gets over there so fast so many times, he kind of runs himself out of those windows. It鈥檚 just getting him to tempo it and just have a feel for where he鈥檚 at in the progression, where he鈥檚 at in the read. He鈥檚 done a good job with that.鈥
Long arms make difference
James Kreutz is another Illinois player who got on the field as a true freshman in 2023. The 6-2, 225-pound linebacker made one start and played in all 12 games and has his own unique trait 鈥 plus a rather large dose of intensity when it comes to play style 鈥 for getting an early jump on his college career.
Kreutz has, by far, the longest arms among Illinois鈥 linebackers. And that can be an difference-maker.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e down there typically mixing it up with guys that are much bigger, much taller, that weigh much more than you,鈥 Illinois linebackers coach Archie McDaniel said. 鈥淗aving length is an advantage.鈥
More purposeful
The list of true freshman to play last season 鈥 and in more than just special teams 鈥 also included lineman Brandon Henderson. It wasn鈥檛 all smooth sailing for the versatile 6-5, 335-pound offensive lineman, who hit a bit of a freshman wall late in the season. He also had some more up-and-down moments this spring, but those nine games on the field is already starting to pay dividends.
鈥淗e came back this summer, and it was like a different guy,鈥 Illinois offensive line coach Bart Miller said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a much more focused, much more purposeful player in the way he approached everything. His attitude in fall camp has been awesome. We鈥檝e played him in a variety of positions, and he鈥檚 embraced it. ... He鈥檚 very good at those interior positions, but he鈥檚 also athletic enough he can go out and be an edge guy.鈥
Josh Kreutz not surprised
Josh Kreutz (James鈥 brother) said he was surprised to be named one of Illinois鈥 six team captains. It wasn鈥檛 something the redshirt junior offensive lineman spent much time thinking about before the vote.
Being selected by his teammates, Kreutz said, was humbling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the biggest honor you can have in sports,鈥 the Illini鈥檚 starting center said.
As for why he was one of his teammates鈥 top six picks to be a captain?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, to be honest,鈥 Kreutz continued. 鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to be myself, trying to be me. Just trying to lead in the best way I can. Practice hard. Train hard. Hopefully they saw those things and that鈥檚 why they voted.鈥