I don't think any of our recruits are sure things. At least for the big time recruits we need two things. We need progression from our sophomore class and an offense that can score.
Lovie has to put up on the field.
This is what we want as fans. You have no idea what a recruit wants to see or what they are looking for when they are picking a school.
Vontae Davis, who was criminally underrated as a recruit, visited when Illinois played Penn State in 2005. What do you think he saw on the field that made him want to commit to Illinois? Could he have seen a chance for immediate playing time? Was he more comfortable at Illinois then he could have been elsewhere? Did he trust Locksley?
All of the Trinity kids visited for the Rutgers game last year. This was one of the most frustrating and upsetting games I've been to and that's saying a lot as a season ticket holder for Illinois football. One of the Trinity players said after the game that Illinois was building a powerhouse. It wasn't just lip service since these guys have come back and have genuine interest in being part of the program.
For some of them it's more important to be at a place where they trust the coaching staff, they're comfortable and there's a clear path to playing time. They have enough confidence in themselves that if they, along with other talented players, come to Illinois that they can turn the program around. They may or may not care about what happens this fall.