As the calendar flips to August, the college football season is just on the horizon.

The Fighting Illini football program announced Thursday the team's 2014 training camp schedule. The Illini will open their 2014 preseason training camp at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 4 before heading north to Camp Rantoul, located on the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Ill., for a week starting Aug. 11. It marks the 15th year Illinois will hold part of its training camp in Rantoul, which is about 20 miles northeast of Champaign-Urbana (MAP).

Players will report to campus on Aug. 3 and will hold seven practices in Champaign from Aug. 4-9. For the first four days of practice (Aug. 4-7), the team will be split into two groups, with one practicing in the afternoon and the other in the evening. This format allows the coaching staff to give more repetitions and individual instruction to each player with so many newcomers going through Illinois practices for the first time.

The Fighting Illini will host Fan Appreciation Day at Memorial Stadium from 4-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 10, before loading up and heading to Camp Rantoul for 10 practices between Aug. 11 and Aug. 18. All practices held at Camp Rantoul will be open to the public. The Illini will scrimmage on Aug. 16 at Memorial Stadium, but that will be closed to the public.

The team will return to Champaign for a closed scrimmage on Aug. 16 and then again on Aug. 19 for the rest of training camp, where all practices will be closed to the public.

Information Courtesy of FightingIllini.com