ZOOK OFF TO HIS BEST RECRUITING START

The book on Illinois coach Ron Zook is pretty simple: Great as a recruiter, not so great as a gameday coach. At Florida, that wasn’t good enough for Zook to keep his job; at Illinois it’s been plenty good enough so far.And based on the early returns, it appears that it will continue to be good enough at Illinois”This is his best start,” recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said of Zook. “The Rose Bowl appearance gave them credibility in the eyes of the kids. Illinois recruiting is going fantastic. They’re starting to land the blue-chip athletes on a consistent basis. Their recruiting each year progresses, and the classes keep getting better.’'Zook’s latest blue chipper is Nathan Scheelhaase, a quarterback from Kansas City. He’s exactly the kind of run-pass threat who fits perfectly in the spread offense the Illini run, and he’s the latest sign that Zook is building a solid foundation to have a good team in Champaign for a long time.