Illinois Fighting Illini NCAA Football News

The 2012 NFL Draft is just over two months away, and Illinois Fighting Illini defensive end Whitney Mercilus has been listed as a late first-round selection on various mock drafts around the web.

Potential first-round selections Whitney Mercilus and Michael Floyd will look to make their mark on scouts and GMs at the 2012 NFL Combine.

Illinois' Ryan Lankford competes in the long jump during the Orange and Blue Open at the Armory on Saturday Feb.

Whitney Mercilus had a huge breakout year for the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2011, and was good enough to perhaps work his way into the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Tagged with: Armory , Big Ten Championship , Cody Wisslead , joe_mcasey , Men's Track & Field , mens_track_field , Mike Turk , orange_and_blue_open , Ryan Lankford , Sports , Stanley Azie , Tyson Invitational Stanley Azie sprints in the 60 Meter Dash during the Orange and Blue Open at the Armory on Saturday Feb.

When the teams meet at Assembly Hall Sunday afternoon, they'll both be playing to enhance their images.

The University of Illinois freshman from Cary, Ill., was among 26 local residents who spent the night in refrigerator boxes - from the One Main building to the Champaign City Hall - as part of One Winter Night, an event geared to raise money for area homeless people and to raise awareness for the plight of the homeless.

DeKALB - ' After introducing 31 new Huskies on Wednesday during National Signing Day, NIU head coach Dave Doeren announced Thursday that two familiar names will return to the school's coaching staff in 2012.

Running back Caz Zyks , offensive lineman Maciej Kozlowski and outside linebacker Evan Bishop inked their names to National Letters of Intent on National Signing Day.

The Illini will host the Orange and Blue Open on Saturday at the Armory. Senior Andrew Riley will be using the time to rest, keeping his body in tact for the championship meets and the 2012 Olympics trials.

In the college football universe, making a bowl game might be considered a successful season for one program, while finishing with 10 or more wins may be a better measure of success for another.

National signing day is in the books, and it's time to evaluate the Big Ten teams and their classes.

Sales of cars and trucks rose 11 percent to 913,287 in January, kicking off what is expected to be... Callahan made an unofficial visit to campus in March and enjoyed a surprise upon arrival back in Colorado: A scholarship offer from assistant coach Jeff Grimes.

New Illinois football coach Tim Beckman loaded up on running backs and defensive backs in his first signing class, a group that some recruiting-ranking services said was among the Big Ten's weakest.

National Signing Day is barely a week away, and Big Ten teams will be stockpiling for the future .

The New England Patriots are busy preparing for Sunday's Super Bowl matchup with the New York Giants , but that doesn't mean we can't look ahead to their first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Russell Wilson , Kirk Cousins , Kellen Moore , Joe Adams , A.J. Jenkins , Arkansas Razorbacks , Illinois Fighting Illini The South team did not score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, but the kept the game close despite three interceptions and a lost fumble falling 23-13 to the North team.

Hines Ward , Brett Favre , Jason Taylor , Brian Urlacher , Christian Ponder , A.J. Jenkins , Christian Ponder , Minnesota Vikings , Illinois Fighting Illini , Florida St.

Brother Rice running back Devin Church wanted an opportunity to play on college football's biggest stage.

Scott Wright's NFL Draft Countdown has long been one of my go-to sites for NFL Draft coverage and the latest mock at the site has Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus going No.