I've seen you mention "top 600" kids. Is that the football equivalent to top 100 in basketball? I'm trying to get more in tune with football recruiting. It's a different world for sure.
Illinois Football Recruiting Thread
- Status
I've seen you mention "top 600" kids. Is that the football equivalent to top 100 in basketball? I'm trying to get more in tune with football recruiting. It's a different world for sure.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
It's 85 schollys vs 13, so top 650 would be equivalent, I suppose 600 is close enough.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Actually it's a lot more complicated considering there are 3x as many D1 basketball teams as there are D1 football teams
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
How so? Not disagreeing, but interested in your thinking.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Total scholarships available across all teams, so maybe it's more like top 300-350.
I'd go as far as 700....I love recruiting news......
TwoElevenEastDaniel
- Cochrane's-Orchid-Tonic
Trieu Crystal Ball pick for Elzy to the Illini.
Awesome! Would be phenomenal if Elzy and Hill committed the same week
What would a reasonable comparison to Ayo's contribution to the BB program be to a new kid or kids contribution to a football program.....
Maybe 4 or 5- 4 star or better recruits from Illinois each at strategic positions. a DB, receiver, DE/LB, RB, QB. That 5th spot at QB as the "face of
the franchise" if you will would be a clean sweep and put us in the national spotlight again next year. Maybe all these kids don't exist in one year,
in one state...but we could dream.
Maybe 4 or 5- 4 star or better recruits from Illinois each at strategic positions. a DB, receiver, DE/LB, RB, QB. That 5th spot at QB as the "face of
the franchise" if you will would be a clean sweep and put us in the national spotlight again next year. Maybe all these kids don't exist in one year,
in one state...but we could dream.
it seems we have potential for 3 of the 5??
Do we have much traction with Hill?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Robert Griffin III at Baylor is the example that springs to mind.
But this is the wrong thread for this really. Ayo the recruiting win didn't change Illinois Basketball, Ayo the player and person did. As was true of RG3.
Which is not meant to be trite, basketball is just different. Elzy could be a great player for us, but he's also a harbinger of a change in the in-state perception of the program among recruits which has a much broader scope than it does in basketball.
Illinois Football has found itself in a place where the top 5-10 kids in state aren't even meaningfully considering us. Bruce Weber and John Groce's inability to close the deal on a handful of elite kids is a similar bummer for fans, but has a different structure to it. If the ABI phenomenon can durably change (which is not accomplished in a single recruiting win or a single class, to be clear) that changes everything.
Greg Schiano's first go-round at Rutgers is the real comparison here. What he accomplished he accomplished by keeping big NJ talent at home at a school those kids had previously not given the time of day.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
Werner too.
madillini4
Ozamataz Buckshank
- Millywaukee
no inside knowledge, but it appears we do. We certainly have an awesome pitch with our DB play and stats the past few years. I think the challenge is going to be that Michigan also wants him. ScUM has struck out on DBs so far in '23 so they're probably pushing pretty hard for him as well. Would be a huge get.
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.
TwoElevenEastDaniel
- Cochrane's-Orchid-Tonic
Werner Crystal Ball for Saboor Karriem.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
wow! really like him too. our secondary is getting restocked very, very nicely
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
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.
Not an expert but a 5***** QB could certainly have a huge effect with the right supporting cast. Equivalent to Ayo???
This… is remarkable. Thanks for compiling and noting this.
Of all the damning stats we’ve seen about Illinois football over the years, this is the most jarring to me.
- Status