So, Robert, What Do You Mean By "Should vs. Did"?

I want to start this one with a quick word about Dana Dimel. It was announced today that the Illini senior offensive analyst passed away in his sleep last night at the age of 62. I did not ever interview the man, I only observed him from afar, but I wanted to say a few things before writing this article.

First off, I just want everyone to pay attention to the tributes out there on Twitter from Illini players and coaches. The analyst role is a forgotten one, but all of those statements note how integral Coach Dimel was to this 9-3 season on the offensive side of the ball. The role that Jim Leonhard was brought in to fill for the 2023 season? That's what Coach Dimel did for the 2024 season. He had been fired as the head coach of UTEP after last season and Coach Bielema brought him here as an offensive analyst.

Offense was always his forte. When Bill Snyder returned to the sideline at K-State in 2009, he brought in Dimel as his offensive coordinator. All of those great K-State teams (eight straight bowls from 2010 to 2017) were with Dimel as the OC. That earned him the UTEP job in 2018, but he was fired there last December after only one winning season.

I went back to my notes from August when we got to see open portions of practice and I had noted how Coach Dimel was constantly at Luke Altmyer's side during those portions we got to see. Even Luke has noted how much Coach Dimel helped him grow this season. Here's Luke's tweet from today:

And I also hope people saw this tribute from Director Of Video Joe Maggio:

Rest in peace, Coach Dimel. Thanks for playing a role in helping us build this football program.