supposedly, he's a really good recruiter. i wonder if he can steal enough guys from michigan, wisconsin, ohio st. (until their probation), etc to be competitive. illinois is about as bad off as a program can get right now...though not as bad as kentucky, or vandy.
One of the things that the Florida fan base was disgusted with was Zook's recruiting etiquette and blunders. Zook really ticked off several Florida HS coaches because when he would renege on scholarships he wouldn't even both to call the kids himself to explain the situation. He would have the grad assistants make the calls. And if they or their parents tried to talk with him personally, he would refuse to take the calls and/or didn't bother to call them back. A coach called him and Zook took the call, but refused to talk further with the coach when he found out it was about a reneged scholarship. Obviously, the coach was insulted and refused to cooperate with Zook again by sending tapes, etc. Zook should get an exit interview... It might help wake him up!