Illinois Football gearing up for first satellite camps under Lovie Smith

The Fighting Illini coaching staff is gearing up for a very busy month. Starting on Friday, Lovie Smith and his assistants will hit the road over the next 15 days to attend a total of 8 satellite camps in 4 different states. These showcases will be extremely important for the program's recruiting efforts, as the Fighting Illini continue to play catch-up for several coveted class-of-2017 prospects.

The first three camps (June 3-4) will be held in and around the Chicagoland area. It's likely that Illinois will be handing out a flurry of scholarship offers this weekend, as they'll be Lovie Smith's first opportunities to evaluate most of these prospects in person.

Here's a quick look at Illinois' complete camp schedule.

• June 3 - Satellite camp at Gately Stadium (Chicago, IL)
• June 4 (am) - Satellite camp at Barrington High School (Barrington, IL)
• June 4 (pm) - Satellite camp at Lincoln-Way East High School (Mokena, IL)
• June 7 - Satellite camp at Trinity High School (St. Louis, MO)
• June 8 - Satellite camp at Lancaster High School (Dallas, TX)
• June 9 - Satellite camp at Thurgood Marshall High School (Houston, TX)
• June 12 - Showcase Camp & Big Man camp at Memorial Stadium
• June 15 - Specialist Camp at Memorial Stadium
• June 17 - Satellite camp at Plant High School (Tampa, FL)
• June 18 - Satellite camp at St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

Illinois Football Links

- 2017 TE Logan Christopherson commits to Missouri (Rock M Nation)

Lovie Smith's recruiting efforts took a bit of a hit on Thursday night when the Lemont, IL native committed to the Tigers. Christopherson was one of Illinois' top targets at tight end, which is a position of need going forward.

- Lovie Smith's Illini honeymoon heads into month of satellite camps (The Pantagraph)

Smith is in the midst of a marathon honeymoon in which the champagne never stops flowing and the music never stops playing. He has yet to lose a game or make a decision that can be second-guessed. It’s all good as he digs in for a month of camps, including a number of those controversial satellite camps that make Alabama coach Nick Saban foam at the mouth.

- Ke'Shawn Vaughn ready to carry the load for Illinois football (The Champaign Room)

Vaughn will be Illinois' feature back this season. He's looking to build off an impressive freshman campaign where he accumulated 723 yards on 157 attempts and six touchdowns.

Illinois Basketball Links

- Malcolm Hill broke a backboard at Ubben over Memorial Day weekend (Illini Inquirer)

The Illini guard sat down with Scout's Derek Piper to discuss what that Shaq'ing was like. No video, unfortunately, but a few pictures of the aftermath are included.

- Kendrick Nunn decision changes Illinois on and off the court (Illini Inquirer)

This team could look totally different from this past season because the Illini might actually be stronger inside than outside.

- Illinois announces United Center game against BYU (The Champaign Room)

Fighting Illini basketball will host the BYU Cougars on December 17 at the United Center as part of the inaugural State Farm Chicago Legends doubleheader.