University of Illinois football players Jason Davis and Steve Weatherford signed free agent deals to join the professional ranks today. Davis will head to Philadelphia, while Weatherford lands with the New Orleans Saints.

Weatherford wrapped up four years as the starting punter for the Illini this season, finishing his career as the school's record holder for punting average as well as single-season average leader. This season, he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, after first-team in 2004. Weatherford joins former Illinois assistant coach Greg McMahon in the Crescent City.

Davis, a two-year starter at fullback, rushed for 361 yards and recorded 644 receiving yards in his career, while scoring six touchdowns. He joins former Illini standout wide receiver, Greg Lewis.

Louisiana-Monroes outgoing linebackers coach is the new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Fighting Illini, Illinois head coach Ron Zook announced Wednesday.

Vince Okruch has nearly 30 years experience as a college coach, which includes stints at Colorado, Minnesota and Northwestern. He comes to Illinois after one season at Louisiana-Monroe and after serving as defensive coordinator at Western Illinois University in 2004.

'I am very excited about bringing someone of Vinces caliber to this staff,' Zook said. 'He has had success at the highest level of college football and that winning attitude will be a great advantage as we move forward with the progress of this program.'

In January, Zook fired defensive coordinator Mike Mallory, the only Ron Turner assistant Zook rehired after taking over last year.

During the 2005 season, the Illini defense ranked 115th of the 117 NCAA Division I teams in yards and points allowed. The Illini allowed opponents almost 470 yards and 39.5 points per game. The Illini gave up 30 points or more to all but one opponent and went 2-9.

Okruch sounded upbeat about the chances of turning around Illinois' football fortunes.

'It took me only five minutes of meeting with Coach Zook to realize that this is the place I want to be,' he said. 'The energy surrounding the Illinois program at this time is contagious and is no doubt headed for success.'

Illinois quarterback Tim Brasic and three teammates will miss some of spring practice because of academic problems and wide receiver Lonnie Hurst was dismissed from the team for violating academic policies, the team announced Tuesday.

The other players to sit out part of the spring practice are defensive end Xavier Fulton, linebacker Sam Porter and defensive tackle Tremayne Walker.

The 15 day practice schedule begins March 28 and ends with the annual Orange and Blue Spring Game April 22. The players will miss practice 'while completing team issued academic standards,' the team announced on its Web site.

'The reason our student athletes are here is to get an education,' Illinois head football coach Ron Zook said on the Web site. 'I can not emphasize enough how important it is that each player take care of business in the classroom before they can do it on the field.'

Brasic started all 11 games as a junior last season for the Illini, completing 206 of 377 passes for 1979 yards.

Fulton started seven games last season as a sophomore, making 13 tackles before a knee injury ended his season. Porter redshirted last season and Walker, a freshman, played in five games.

Hurst played in only one game last season, against San Jose State. He did not record any statistics.

The 2006 Western Illinois University football schedule has been finalized with the addition of Kentucky Wesleyan, which replaces the original September 16 home date against Stephen F. Austin. The 11-game schedule also includes a Thursday night opener at home and trips to Wisconsin and Northern Colorado during non-conference season.

The Leathernecks will open the 2006 slate on a Thursday night (Aug. 31 vs. Morehead State, 6:05 p.m.) for the second consecutive season and will open with a home game for the second time in three years. Western Illinois is 3-0 when opening the season at home under eighth year head coach Don Patterson.

Western Illinois will then travel to Wisconsin (Sept. 9) to face the Badgers in Bret Bielemas first game at Camp Randall Stadium. Patterson, who spent 20 years as an assistant at Iowa, coached Bielema as a walk on freshman tight end in 1988. Bielema spent nine seasons (1993-01) as an assistant coach at Iowa, six of them alongside Patterson.

'Camp Randall is one of the most exciting atmospheres in all of college football,' Patterson said. 'We understand that it will be a huge challenge to play well against a solid Badgers team coming off an incredible season.'

The Badgers, who have an 11-1 record at home in the last two seasons, finished the 2005 campaign with a 10-3 record and a 24-10 win over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.

Western will cap its Hall of Fame ceremonies a week later with a Sept. 16 (1:05 p.m.) game against Kentucky Wesleyan. The home date was originally filled by Stephen F. Austin, which was allowed to postpone its visit to Macomb in order to play Arizona. Western Illinois and SFA still have three years remaining in the four-year home-and-home contract.

A September 23 visit to Northern Colorado, the back end of a home-and-home series, ends the non-conference schedule but begins a three-game road trip. The Leathernecks will play four of their seven Gateway Conference games on the road this season, starting with Western Kentucky (Sept. 30) and Southern Illinois (Oct. 7).

Homecoming is scheduled for Oct. 14 (1:05 p.m.) against Youngstown State, and Illinois State visits Hanson Field Oct. 21 (6:05 p.m.) for the only back-to-back home games of the season.

The final three games of the regular season have the Leathernecks playing on the road at Northern Iowa (Oct. 28), home for Family Weekend, November 4 (1:05 p.m.) against Indiana State, and at Missouri State (Nov. 11). The I-AA playoffs begin November 25.

'It is always our goal to play a full Division I schedule,' Patterson remarked, 'but the reality of scheduling, especially at our level, is that the majority of I-AA teams are simply not interested in either a guarantee arrangement or a home-and-home agreement. We are very grateful to the schools with which we have those arrangements already in place, and hopefully it will open up the doors for future agreements.'

Spring practices are scheduled to officially open Saturday, March 25 and conclude with the annual spring scrimmage Saturday, April 22 at 1:05 p.m.