Illinois Football Preview: Duke’s Manny Diaz Discusses the Illini

As Illinois Football gears up for its huge week two showdown in Durham, it’s apparent that the Blue Devils aren’t taking the 11th-ranked Illini lightly.

Duke head coach Manny Diaz made it clear when speaking to the media on Wednesday (9/27) that his team is bracing for a tough test against a program that has built a culture of consistency, toughness, and now, success under Bret Bielema—one Diaz hopes to emulate within his own program.

The Blue Devils’ head coach acknowledged the challenge of finding any soft spots in Illinois’ roster, emphasizing the depth and experience that have helped Bret Bielema’s program maintain momentum and create heightened expectations for the 2025 season. Even with key players like Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin gone, Illinois has managed to reload effectively, leaving opponents like Duke with few obvious weaknesses to exploit.

Diaz is very confident in the team that he brings to the table against the Illini. Still, he knows the Fighting Illini are legit, and that it’s going to take a lot of resilience to bring down Bielema’s experienced crew.

Manny Diaz on Illinois Football: per Duke Athletics

“Who knows how good anybody is after week one. Examining Illinois in terms of trying to find a weakness on a football team is a challenge. Normally, you’re replacing something, right? Even their wide receivers, where they had their biggest losses, they’ve already been able to add guys in the portal. They look like they’ve picked up where the last group left off. We’re talking about bringing back five offensive linemen. The quarterback has played forever.” 

Diaz continued, “It’s weird to have played against them two years ago and to be able to remember a lot of those same guys you were standing across the field against. I would say in college football, people think you win because of who your best players are. But normally, you get beat by where your biggest weaknesses are. That’s the point with Illinois. They just don’t put a lot of weaknesses on tape because they have so many guys who are accomplished, won big games and done it together.”

Here’s what Duke head coach Manny Diaz said regarding what makes Illinois tough:

(Transcription from Duke Athletics) pic.twitter.com/HbuWBIxATQ

— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) September 3, 2025

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