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Mar. 6—CHAMPAIGN — In the very near future — when Art Sitkowski is running his own college football program — we are going to say “saw that one coming.”
Today, the New Jersey native with the (perhaps fading) accent is Illinois’ co-quarterback coach, a position he took on Tuesday.
In my 35 years covering Illinois football, plenty of quarterbacks with big personalities have emerged. But Sitkowski is at a different level.
His first media availability after the promotion served as a reminder.
“I’m super, super excited to be in this position to help these quarterbacks out,” Sitkowski said Wednesday at the Smith Center. “And if you had told me eight years ago, nine years ago, I’d be at the University of Illinois, I’d say, ‘You’re crazy.'”
Sitkowski started his college career at home-state Rutgers before transferring to Illinois in 2021.
“I remember driving out here for the first time and it was during COVID, so when you get recruited during COVID, you didn’t take any visits,” Sitkowski said. “You just kind of showed up and went about it. I didn’t know what this place was about. I remember seeing a bunch of windmills and cornfields and soybean fields. I didn’t even know how to pump my own gas.”
He does now.
“Five years later, it’s the best decision I ever made in my life,” Sitkowski said. “Bret Bielema has changed my life. As a player, as a person, as a coach. This place is a special place. It’s very near and dear to my heart.”
What’s he most excited about?
“Just helping the quarterbacks be the best version of themselves,” Sitkowski said.
And he looks forward to again hitting the road in recruiting.
“That’s something that’s really, really special to me because I love people,” Sitkowski said. “I love getting to call a recruit, meet him on the phone, meet his parents, his high school coach and seeing their journey…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/bob-asmussen-no-surprise-sitkowski-155600714.html
Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
Publish date : 2025-03-06 15:56:00
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