Illinois Football Recruiting Thread

[ChiTownJH]

Let's take it down a notch here....

I think Lovie will be great coach and I think he has already lit a flame under the !!! of Illini Nation that will not likely be extinguished anytime soon. But... to think he's going to start pulling in 1-3 5 star recruits is getting ahead of ourselves. Each year, there's about 30 5-star recruits. You're suddenly thinking that we're going to be pulling in 10% of the nations 5-star recruits? This year, only three teams pulled in 3 5-stars recruits, and two of them competed in the national championship game.

Don't get me wrong, the players will want to play with Lovie Smith, but the best players are still going to go where the wins are. When Lovie wins, which I'm sure he will eventually (not likely this year), the top tier players will start looking at Illinois. But, unless we're competing for National Championships each year, we'll likely be looking at 1 5-star recruit at best most years.

The rest you said seems way more accurate. If we could constantly be pulling in 4-star and upper tier 3-star guys, we'll be just fine with Lovie coaching.

I'm going to slightly disagree. What do these 5-star recruits in football, as well as basketball care about? Below in order, is what they care about:

1) Get me to the League
2) Playing Time
3) Winning Conference and National Championships

This is what they care about in that order. No and's if's, butts, or jiu-jitsu about it. So I believe, because the Illini now has a staff, that has worked with NFL players, these 5-star recruits will start coming. Sure the Illini needs to win, but I have strong feeling, they will have a least one 5-star in that 2017 class. Just saying.

 

[ChiTownJH]

And this is really why the Lovie hire is so big. We could hire the next great coach from a mid-major and they would bring energy and ideas and would lift all aspects of the program and people would take notice over time and it would be great. But it would start with a whimper, and we'd still be Illinois with the mediocre facilities and the empty stadium and the negative, fatalistic fanbase and the dead-as-a-doornail brand. Wins would change it over time, but it would take time, and would probably be led by out-of-state kids for awhile, because our program just has such a stench to the kids that grew up around it.

With Lovie, the stench is gone. The brand is brand new. There will be real crowds from game 1. He has a rock star quality to in-state kids. We still face a ton of other challenges, but in terms of that "anywhere but Illinois" mentality, the Lovie era comes pre-rebuilt.

Agreed.

 

[ChiTownJH]

They also care about the facilities
They also care about the women on the campus

Lol, agreed.

 

[midastouch11]

They also care about the facilities
They also care about the women on the campus

And some 5-stars care about how $weet their homecoming package is. Some people that know Rashan Gary's recruitment describe it as basically just a fundraising tour.

 

[Deebo]

Fullbacks are dying on Sundays almost as fast as Saturdays, sadly, from a former HS fullback's perspective.

He will be a Rb the film speaks for its self...

 

[Bomb Squad 217]

Tre Nation was a steal. Future first round draft pick

 

[KJKobs]

Tre Nation was a steal. Future first round draft pick

 

[The Rock Says]

Fullbacks are dying on Sundays almost as fast as Saturdays, sadly, from a former HS fullback's perspective.

If he proves to be able to hang on to the ball, he could be the 3 and 1/goal line threat we've needed for a LONG time.

 

[IAmChrisFarley]

And some 5-stars care about how $weet their homecoming package is. Some people that know Rashan Gary's recruitment describe it as basically just a fundraising tour.

If you ain't cheating, you ain't tryin'. That's the old saying in the sec.

 

[illini80]

Let's take it down a notch here....

I think Lovie will be great coach and I think he has already lit a flame under the !!! of Illini Nation that will not likely be extinguished anytime soon. But... to think he's going to start pulling in 1-3 5 star recruits is getting ahead of ourselves. Each year, there's about 30 5-star recruits. You're suddenly thinking that we're going to be pulling in 10% of the nations 5-star recruits? This year, only three teams pulled in 3 5-stars recruits, and two of them competed in the national championship game.

Don't get me wrong, the players will want to play with Lovie Smith, but the best players are still going to go where the wins are. When Lovie wins, which I'm sure he will eventually (not likely this year), the top tier players will start looking at Illinois. But, unless we're competing for National Championships each year, we'll likely be looking at 1 5-star recruit at best most years.

The rest you said seems way more accurate. If we could constantly be pulling in 4-star and upper tier 3-star guys, we'll be just fine with Lovie coaching.

It comes with the territory I know, but the over inflated expectations lead to disappointing results. We are not becoming an overnight powerhouse. The first step is to become relevant , and the next step is to show enough success to compete consistently for 4 star talent. The future is so much brighter than it has been for many years, but let's keep it realistic and enjoy the ride.

 

[Jacob]

It comes with the territory I know, but the over inflated expectations lead to disappointing results. We are not becoming an overnight powerhouse. The first step is to become relevant , and the next step is to show enough success to compete consistently for 4 star talent. The future is so much brighter than it has been for many years, but let's keep it realistic and enjoy the ride.

Before Saturday, I thought we had a realistic shot with 10 of the top 20 instate. Now I think it is 19 of the top 20. Once this staff establishes its relationships in state I think it will recruit better than any staff in the past. But no, we will not lock down Chicago

 

[IrishIllini]

It comes with the territory I know, but the over inflated expectations lead to disappointing results. We are not becoming an overnight powerhouse. The first step is to become relevant , and the next step is to show enough success to compete consistently for 4 star talent. The future is so much brighter than it has been for many years, but let's keep it realistic and enjoy the ride.

I don't think many people have inflated expectations though. We're in the west division of the Big Ten. It's not like we need to beat Michigan St., Michigan, Ohio St., and Penn St. to make it to Indianapolis. We need to beat Purdue, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska. With some better coaching we could have been there last year, but that's just my opinion. I'm not saying the Illini will make it to Indy next year, but I wouldn't be surprised if we did.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

Before Saturday, I thought we had a realistic shot with 10 of the top 20 instate. Now I think it is 19 of the top 20. Once this staff establishes its relationships in state I think it will recruit better than any staff in the past. But no, we will not lock down Chicago

Go land 6 of the top 20 and you have changed everything.

 

[Joel Goodson]

Before Saturday, I thought we had a realistic shot with 10 of the top 20 instate. Now I think it is 19 of the top 20. Once this staff establishes its relationships in state I think it will recruit better than any staff in the past. But no, we will not lock down Chicago

+1

Locking down Chicago, or merely the state, is a pipedream. Having a realistic shot at the vast majority is the goal. And with this staff, it's attainable. Add some P5 talent from St. Loo, Indy, Texas and Florida and that's our recipe for success.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

Here are Lovie's twitter follows so far, on the 24/7 list of 2017 Illinois prospects:

1. AJ Epenesa - DE (Iowa Commit)
3. Cole Kmet - TE (Notre Dame Commit)
4. Kevin Jarvis - OT
5. Isaiah Robertson - WR
6. Ricky Smalling - WR
7. Logan Christopherson - TE
8. Izayah Green-May - DE
9. Jake Marwede - TE
12. Micah Awodiran - LB
13. Jacub Panasiuk - DE
14. Ivory Kelly-Martin - RB
16. Ryan O'Malley - DT (Illinois Commit)
17. Isaac Hawn - OT
22. Olalere Oladipo - DE
NR. Dalton Wagner - OT (Arkansas, Louisville, Indiana, Syracuse offers)
NR. Kendall Smith - WR (We're 1st Power Five offer)

Plus DeCalon Brooks, and he's now followed Pete Werner, a four-star linebacker from Indiana with offers from Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, etc, and Amir Riep, a four-star cornerback from Cincinnati with offers from Ohio State, Michigan State, LSU, Michigan, etc.

 

[Klondike]

Here are Lovie's twitter follows so far, on the 24/7 list of 2017 Illinois prospects:

1. AJ Epenesa - DE (Iowa Commit)
3. Cole Kmet - TE (Notre Dame Commit)
4. Kevin Jarvis - OT
5. Isaiah Robertson - WR
6. Ricky Smalling - WR
7. Logan Christopherson - TE
8. Izayah Green-May - DE
9. Jake Marwede - TE
12. Micah Awodiran - LB
13. Jacub Panasiuk - DE
14. Ivory Kelly-Martin - RB
16. Ryan O'Malley - DT (Illinois Commit)
17. Isaac Hawn - OT
22. Olalere Oladipo - DE
NR. Dalton Wagner - OT (Arkansas, Louisville, Indiana, Syracuse offers)
NR. Kendall Smith - WR (We're 1st Power Five offer)

Plus DeCalon Brooks, and he's now followed Pete Werner, a four-star linebacker from Indiana with offers from Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, etc, and Amir Riep, a four-star cornerback from Cincinnati with offers from Ohio State, Michigan State, LSU, Michigan, etc.

Seems weird he isn't following Jeff Thomas, the 4 star WR out of ESL. #2 player in the state.

 

[IAmChrisFarley]

Seems weird he isn't following Jeff Thomas, the 4 star WR out of ESL. #2 player in the state.

Maybe Thomas doesn't have a Twitter.

 

[IlliniFan85]

So does anyone know if we have changes to admissions requirements? If we haven't then I don't see us getting all of the recruits we want. That's just my opinion. I want Lovie to succeed. I wanted Beckman and Cubit to succeed to because I root for the Illini. But if we can't change the requirements to get in then we will be in a similar situation.

 

[FatGreg]

Thus far, all evidence suggests that admission standards will not be relaxed. A few other top academic schools have been able to overcome this hurdle. We'll soon see whether the current regime can manage.

 

[bigruss22]

What evidence has there been for either side?

This doesn't seem like something we'll really know about more until recruiting picks up and we get closer to the next signing day.

 

[Doak1960]

Seems weird he isn't following Jeff Thomas, the 4 star WR out of ESL. #2 player in the state.

Marwede visiting Penn Stat this weekend. Offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan State plus the fact we just offered 3 TE's makes this difficult.

 

[FatGreg]

What evidence has there been for either side?

This doesn't seem like something we'll really know about more until recruiting picks up and we get closer to the next signing day.

At Lovie's introductory press conference he was asked directly about admission standards. He replied something like, "we're looking forward to recruiting football players who are also great students and representatives of the university." There was a follow up question that he also deflected with a reference to valuing classroom performance. Obviously that's not definitive, but that's what I'm going on.

 

[ATL Chief]

The admissions standards for new recruits is a non issue right now. Would it matter if we were competing with Alabama for Nat'l Championships? YES.

To be competitive in the B10 West? No way. Admissions didn't make us a fball doormat.

 

[BillyBob1]

Before Saturday, I thought we had a realistic shot with 10 of the top 20 instate. Now I think it is 19 of the top 20. Once this staff establishes its relationships in state I think it will recruit better than any staff in the past. But no, we will not lock down Chicago

Is that a good thing? Where will the scholarships come from for the Florida and Texas players?

 

[icengineer]

At Lovie's introductory press conference he was asked directly about admission standards. He replied something like, "we're looking forward to recruiting football players who are also great students and representatives of the university." There was a follow up question that he also deflected with a reference to valuing classroom performance. Obviously that's not definitive, but that's what I'm going on.

Correct, I'm paraphrasing but he said there are many schools that have high standards and do very well and he didn't see that as a problem.