The Drive on ESPN 93.5

01/28/26 Hour 1: Illini updates from the Senior Bowl with Brian Teague, US Olympian & U of I grad Sarah Warren, Illini Football Schedule

We're traveling the globe this hour and we start at The Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Brian Teague from Chicago State of Mind Sports is live on location with updates on Luke Altmyer, Gabe Jacas, and JC Davis. Which of the 3 did Brian say was "the best player on the field?" 

Sarah Warren is representing the United States in speedskating at the Winter Olympics. She's also a U of I grad and called us from Germany! Sarah tells us how she overcame TEN knee surgeries to make the Olympic team. This is an incredible conversation!

Illinois football released their schedule yesterday and dive in a little bit more. 

01/27/26 Hour 2: BREAKING - Illinois Football 2026 schedule is out, Tuesday Draft: Super Bowl Spread, and Mike McCarthy's intro presser

The Fighting Illini football schedule is out for 2026 and we have it for you this hour!

Plus, Tuesday is Draft Day! We're drafting our Super Bowl Spreads. Who won? Vote on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. 

01/27/26 Hour 1: Kyle Tausk from Illini Inquirer talks Illinois beating Purdue, Keaton Wagler, if Washington is a trap game, and more

Our guy The Great Kyle Tausk is back with us! Kyle breaks down Keaton Wagler's historic performance against Purdue and the Illini win.

Plus Illini Headlines, Curveballs, and plenty more!

01/26/26 Hour 2: NFL Championship Weekend, Who will win the Super Bowl?, Etched in Stone

The Super Bowl is now set! The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks are headed to Santa Clara. Who ya got?! We discuss.

Plus, Evan is on a HEATER with Etched in Stone! It's a 20-4 run last week. Will he cash in again?

01/26/26 Hour 1: Illini with a stunner at Purdue, Keaton Wagler's 46 point game, and more

The Illini men's basketball team got their biggest win of the year with an 88-82 upset over Purdue on Saturday. Keaton Wagler turned in an all-time performance with 46 points, a record for a Freshman and the most ever scored by an opposing player in Mackey.

Evan and Cooper are holding it down on Hour 1!

01/23/26 Hour 2: Nick Rodecap discusses Indiana's National Championship win & future, Etched in Stone, NFL Championship Weekend predictions, Friday Toasts

Nick Rodecap covers Indiana athletics for WIUX-FM, The Hoosier Network, and Inside The Hall. Nick was in Miami for their National Championship win and gives us his view of the game. Plus, where does Cignetti & CO go from here? A great listen!

Evan was out of the studio, but still called in for "Etched in Stone." He's on a 8-2 heater over the last two days. Will that continue tonight?

Plus we preview Championship Weekend in the NFL. Who's going to The Super Bowl?

And Friday Toasts! Cheers!

01/23/26 Hour 1: Illini vs Purdue preview with Jimmy Sobeski, Brad Underwood press conference, How much revenue does The Super Bowl bring to a city?

Illinois basketball has its biggest test of the season tomorrow at Purdue! We preview the game with Jimmy Sobeski from the "Flag on the Play" Podcast. Jimmy's been covering Purdue athletics for years and stopped by the studio before heading to Mackey for the game.

Brad Underwood met with the media today ahead of the game. We bring you his press conference and get his thoughts on how Illinois will defend Braden Smith.

Plus, how much revenue does the Super Bowl actually bring to a city? A new study out today with the answer might surprise you on how the actual dollar amount.

01/22/26 Hour 2: Illini wrestling legend Zane Richards, Etched in Stone, What should the Bears do with their 1st Draft Pick?

Illini wrestling legend Zane Richards joins us to talk the free RTC clinic after Illinois vs. Rutgers. Evan checks in with his latest Etched in Stone picks after going 4–1, and we debate what the Bears should do with their first-round pick.

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01/22/26 Hour 1: The Illini cruise past Maryland 89–70. Kyle Tausk of Illini Inquirer joins us to break down the win and preview Illinois vs. Purdue.

Things went pretty well for Brad Underwood's squad in their first game without Kylan Boswell. The Illini beat Maryland 89-70 and now turn their attention to Purdue. The Great Kyle Tausk from Illini Inquirer joins to break down the win and preview Saturday's game.

01/21/26 Hour 2: Ravi Lulla on the National Championship Game & what's next for Indiana's football program, Tuesday Draft results, Etched in Stone, and Illini vs Terps predictions

Our guy Ravi Lulla from Hurrdat Sports joins us this hour to discuss the National Championship Game. Where does Indiana football go from here? How will Miami reload their roster? We also chat about Big Ten basketball and the NFL Playoffs.

Who won our Tuesday Draft and why did they do a victory lap around the radio station?

Evan has FIVE bets for Etched in Stone.

And we give our score predictions for Illinois vs Maryland.

01/21/26 Hour 1: Illini vs Terps preview, Chris Kwiecinski of Fox32 Chicago talks Bears end of season wrap-up, Evan and Ty Cobb weirdness

Tonight is Illinois' first game without guard Kylan Boswell. We preview the Illini vs Maryland and answer your texts.

Chris Kwiecinski from Fox32 Chicago is back on the show with us. Chris was at Halas Hall for the Bears year-end presser. Where does Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles see the Bears going from their playoff run? And why did Ben Johnson say they "can't build off of 2025?" 

Also, why did Evan draft Ty Cobb in our Tuesday Draft? The text line was on fire for this one!

01/20/26 Hour 2: Cooper O'Kelly from The Champaign Room takes us to Soldier Field for Bears vs Rams, Tuesday Draft - Best Athletes to Never Win A Championship

Cooper O'Kelly writes for The Champaign Room and is also our new intern at The Drive. He was at Soldier Field for the 2 coldest games of the year, including Bears vs Rams in the Divisional Playoffs. Cooper gives us his first-hand experience of the highs and lows of the game.

Tuesday is Draft Day! And today's category is "The Greatest Athletes to Never Win a Championship." Who immediately comes to mind? Who won and who had the worst pick? Who did we miss?

Vote on Twitter, Instagram, and our Facebook page.

01/20/26 Hour 1: Carson Gourdie from WICS-TV joins us to discuss Kylan Boswell's injury & Illini basketball, Indiana wins the National Title - are they the greatest college team of all time?

Illini guard Kylan Boswell is OUT with a broken hand for a month. We react to the news and talk with Carson Gourdie from WICS-TV about the latest on the Illini roster. 

Indiana Football are the National Champions and a member of the show says they are the greatest college team of all time. Is that true? 

01/19/26 Hour 2: Bears lose to the Rams - what's next?, NFL Playoffs, Bills fire Sean McDermott & other NFL Coaching moves, Etched in Stone - National Title Edition

The Chicago Bears magical season came to an end last night with a 20-17 overtime loss against the Rams. Where do they go from here? We recap the game and look at the free agent list. Plus, Eric Bienemy is leaving the Bears and returning to the Chiefs for their Offensive Coordinator position. 

The Bills have fired Sean McDermott. Is he immediately the most sought-after free agent coach? We dig into the latest coaching carousel.

Evan has a College Football National Championship "Etched in Stone" bet that might shock you.

And we announce the next category in our Tuesday Drafts.

01/19/26 Hour 1: J Leman joins us to preview the National Championship Game, Bret Bielema joins ESPN 93.5 to talk about recruitment, recap Illini basketball's win over Minnesota

The All-American J Leman joins us on the Dick Van Dyke Appliance phone line to preview the National Championship Game between Indiana vs Miami. Plus, J gives his thoughts on Illinois football recruitment and much more.

Speaking of recruitment, Illinois Head Coach Bret Bielema joined ESPN 93.5 today to discuss his recruitment class and all things college football. Coach Bielema let listeners know that he's nowhere near done building the 2026 roster.

And we recap the Illini men's basketball team's home win over Minnesota. Big Z was the hero this time.

01/16/26 Hour 2: Carson Gourdie talks Illini vs Gophers & football transfer portal, Etched in Stone, NFL Playoff Predictions, Friday Toasts

Our guy Carson Gourdie from WICS-TV and Fox Illinois joins us to preview Illinois vs Minnesota. Carson has great insight and statistical breakdowns as always. Plus we talk about the Illinois football transfer portal and some of the odd pictures on Carson's Facebook page.

Evan went 2-2 last night in Etched in Stone and is over .500 for 2026. Find out which basketball games he likes for tonight.

We make our predictions for the NFL Divisional round and are completely split. Who did we pick and who do you agree with?

Plus, our big Friday Toasts!

01/16/26 Hour 1: Cardinals Caravan 2026, Zack Pearson talks Bears vs Rams, Brad Underwood's Press Conference before Illinois vs Minnesota

The St. Louis Cardinals rolled into Champaign today for our annual Cardinals Caravan! This hour you'll hear from several of the stars for this year's team. Players included Michael McGreevy, Thomas Saggese, Yohel Pozo, Andre Pallante, and alumni favorite Bengie Molina!

Zack Pearson covers the Chicago Bears for BearWire on 247Sports. He's back on the show and this time we're talking Bears vs Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs. How does Zack think the Bears can win this game?

The Illini Men's Basketball team takes on Minnesota tomorrow and head coach Brad Underwood met with the media earlier today. Underwood addresses the health of David Mirkovic, Keaton Wagler, and the infamous hook & hold call from the Northwestern game.

01/16/25 Hour 2: Evan explains why "overpaying a NFL Quarterback won't win you a Super Bowl," Sean Payton was mean to a reporter, Bears vs Rams, Etched in Stone

Can you guess how many Super Bowls the Top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL have won? The number might surprise you. Evan has done the research and explains why overpaying a QB won't win a championship.

Sean Payton did not like a reporter's question about Dre Greenlaw's return and made that very clear. Was he out of line? Have a listen and judge for yourself.

We take a look at the Bears vs Rams injury report, and if the weather makes a difference this Sunday night.

Plus FOUR bets from Evan in "Etched in Stone."

01/15/26 Hour 1: Kyle Tausk from Illini Inquirer discusses Illinois' win over Northwestern, Keaton Wagler and more

The #13 Illini men's team landed another win last night, this time in Evanston against Northwestern, 79-68. Keaton Wagler led the Illini once again with 22 points, and Tomislav Ivisic also added 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Kyle Tausk from Illini Inquirer joins us to talk about the win, preview the upcoming game with Minnesota, thoughts on Keaton Wagler's back spasms, and more.

01/14/26 Hour 2: Dante Moore returns to Oregon; Does history show he made the right decision? NFL Draft talk, Illini scoreboard banter, Illini vs NWU Predictions

Dante Moore will NOT be the #1 pick in this year's NFL Draft. The Oregon Ducks starting quarterback announced today he's returning for another year. How does his decision stack up with Top Pick athletes that have made similar decisions? Kurtis crunched some numbers and it sparked a great conversation. How does Moore's decision affect the NFL Draft for this year? 

Gies Memorial Stadium is about to have the biggest scoreboard in all of College Football. What are some other renovations that could be made? What are improvements that YOU want to see?

And give our score predictions for tonight's Illinois vs Northwestern game.