Can't Wait For Saturday When picking their leaders, Illini got it right
· Yahoo Sports
Aug. 20—***
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On Thursday afternoon at the Smith Center, reporters will get a chance to talk to the six Illinois players just named captains.
The primary question for all the honorees should be some version of "What does this mean to you?"
Funny, in the days of transfer portals and revenue sharing, old-timey honors like being picked as a captain might not mean much. But it does.
At Illinois, the players do the selecting. They decide who gets to lead them.
Defensive backs Matthew Bailey and Xavier Scott, receiver Collin Dixon, quarterback Katin Houser, running back Aidan Laughery and center Jake Renfro were given the ultimate tribute by their teammates: "We will follow you." was the message.
I commend the players on their choices. Sure, it is an older group, but whether a player had been here five years or one didn't seem to matter. In the new reality of football, it signals the players understand things have changed and they are willing to go with the flow.
Houser and Renfro joined the team with open minds and made positive impressions. That's a skill that will serve then well later in life, when football is in the rear-view mirror and they are working jobs and raising families.
Most of us don't know what it is like to be named captain ... of anything. But we know it would be pretty cool to have the trust of a group, no matter what the activity.
Congrats to all six. Don't forget when you go to midfield for the coin toss: Tails never fails. Unless it does.