The 88 Illini: #48-#45

Just wanted to remind you of the "countdown flexibility" I've given myself here. When I first started writing these countdown posts 15 years ago, I tried to make them daily posts that counted down to the first game of the season. And I rarely ever stayed on track. Summer vacations, trying to write posts once camp started and I was beginning to write the preview... I just never stayed on track.

With this "four-at-a-time" method, I try to stay within the window of the countdown (although I don't always make it). To wit: there are 45 days until the first game and I'm writing #48-#45. If I get fully back on track I'd be writing #44-#41 when there are 44 days left until the first game. That way I'd put up the final post four days before the season starts. But since that's the day the preview comes out this year (first game is on a Thursday), I have a little flexibility to write that final one at some point between "4 more days" and "1 more day."

One day more
Another day another destiny
This never-ending wait for games at Gies
These men who seem to know Zeph Grimes
Will surely come a second time

(Can you tell I'm gettin' the old brain loosened up for the preview? These are the calisthenics that I do.)

Some stuff at the beginning of July got me out of the four-day window mentioned above. This post gets me back inside (#48-#45 with 45 days remaining). And I'm gonna try to slowly work it so I'm at something like #32-#29" going up 32 days before the season (because I might slip a bit in August again).

All of that to say... never take these posts to mean that you can count on the first number to be the number of days remaining until the season. It will be close. This helps me to never fail like I failed with the 2024 list. We're going to get there, and the number will be somewhere in the window, and by the time the season is here, you will know my full list of The Most Important Illini Football Players For The 2026 Season.

We've basically reached the two-deep now, so let's get to it: