Ad Disclosure
Illinois DC Aaron Henry perfectly details despise for national rankings
Published:
Illinois football is ranked, and in recent years that’s always big news. Just try not to tell Fighting Illini defensive coordinator Aaron Henry.
Illinois moved into the AP Poll at No. 24 on Sunday, 1 day after its dominant 30-9 home victory over Central Michigan improved the Fighting Illini to 3-0. Time to celebrate with some champagne in Champaign?
No, said Henry, who absolutely hates rankings this early in the season and isn’t afraid to tell everyone just how much he hates them.
#illini DC Aaron Henry hates rankings early in the season.
"We say FTR. I ain't going to tell you what that means. I hate rankings, guys. I hate 'em. I hate 'em. I hate 'em. Great for recruiting. Great for our program historically."
WATCH: https://t.co/cIQrPF0oeB pic.twitter.com/DhcreHN81e
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) September 17, 2024
“We say FTR. I ain’t going to tell you what that means,” said the 2nd-year Illinois defensive coordinator. “I hate rankings, guys. I hate ’em. I hate ’em. I hate ’em. Great for recruiting. Great for our program historically.”
But maybe not so great for a program that can’t afford to be complacent — especially so early in the season, as Henry pointed out.
Henry reiterated that he loves the program breaking into the AP rankings, that it’s great for the school. But he also said he’s going to have to work on his players this week in terms of maintaining their focus on the task at hand, which just happens to be a primetime showdown on national TV on Friday night at No. 22 Nebraska.