i guess on this big of a roster a group of illinois talent that changed the landscape of recruiting and winning is where i was going with my thoughts.
Yeah. Well two things I'd note.
1. We're already winning! Obviously I don't want to get ahead of ourselves here, but just feels like it should be noted that the order of operations here has been black cloud of doom lifted in the games first, recruits jumping on board second. It was the other way around with Ayo (and Kofi). We're showing these kids what's possible here on Saturdays.
2. It really can't be overstated how badly we've been doing with in-state football recruiting.
2023: Kaden Feagin is our only one of the top 17, with 3 going to Wisconsin, 3 to Northwestern and 3 to Iowa
2022: We got none of the top 11, with 2 to Northwestern and 1 each to Iowa and Wisconsin
2021: We got none of the top 25(!), with 3 to Iowa, 2 to Northwestern, 1 to Wisconsin and 5 to Minnesota (including that poor helpless backup QB lol)
2020: We got none of the top 50(!!!!!!!). I mean, what? This was the year Lovie took us bowling, for reference.
2019: We got none of the top 12, and Keith Randolph was our only one of the top 26
2018: We got none of the top 12. Luke Ford and Quincy Patterson (the last big recruitment Lovie actually competed in, as I recall) were the top 2.
2017: The initial Lovie buzz class, but Ricky Smalling and Kendrick Green were still our only 2 of the top 13 and with Lere Oladipo and Kendall Smith were 4 of the top 28
2016: None of the top 29. Not ideal indeed.
Beckman actually did intermittently better, but you get the idea.