Illinois Football Recruiting Thread

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#777      

Deleted member 654622

D
Guest
Could the "big package from Chicago" be 6'9'' Joacheim Price who visited today? I know he is from Algonquin and not Chicago.

https://twitter.com/JoacheimP/status/979114534454558720

I don't think that is what he was referring to but 6'9" Jeeez!
I also noticed on his twitter he has retweeted Trevor Keegan
https://247sports.com/Player/Trevor-Keegan-88117/
The no. 1 ranked IL player. I always thought that was Bargy. Anyone know why we didn't go after Trevor at all? Or am I just not remembering it?
 
#778      

FT35

Naperville
I don't think that is what he was referring to but 6'9" Jeeez!
I also noticed on his twitter he has retweeted Trevor Keegan
https://247sports.com/Player/Trevor-Keegan-88117/
The no. 1 ranked IL player. I always thought that was Bargy. Anyone know why we didn't go after Trevor at all? Or am I just not remembering it?

They have gone after him but there's just no interest from him. This has been the case with almost every recruit from Crystal Lake.
 
#779      

South Farms

near Ogden & Rt 83
They have gone after him but there's just no interest from him. This has been the case with almost every recruit from Crystal Lake.

maybe their coach couldn't get in the UI back in the 1980's - 1990's , and was forced to go to Iowa or Mizzou and stills holds a grudge , like all those types do.
 
#780      

Deleted member 654622

D
Guest
Just heard Fabian McCray will be back for a visit tomorrow......Second one this month.....
 
#782      

mhuml32

Cincinnati, OH
They have gone after him but there's just no interest from him. This has been the case with almost every recruit from Crystal Lake.


At this point I'm just hoping he goes to a non-B1G West school.
 
#783      
They have gone after him but there's just no interest from him. This has been the case with almost every recruit from Crystal Lake.

They landed me ;)

But yeah, losing two guys from my high school to Iowa last year really sucked.

My class sent a raft of kids to U of I, but I'm told by a friend who is a teacher in the district that kids rarely go there anymore due to the high price and scholarships available elsewhere (apparently dozens go to Iowa State every year now). And McHenry County was never exactly a hotbed of Illini fandom to begin with.
 
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#785      

mhuml32

Cincinnati, OH
Dug into the state of Illinois top-10 recruits by year because we were talking a few weeks back about how often these recruits sign with Illinois and how IF Illinois football can make some degree of improvement regarding convincing the best players to stay home it would be a big improvement on talent.

State of Illinois Top 10 Recruits that Signed with Illinois

2003
#2 - Martin O'Donnell
#6 - James Ryan
Biggest Miss - Mike Jones (OT - Iowa - Freshman All-American)

2004
#5 - Sam Carson
Biggest Miss - Roland Martin (OG - Michigan State - All B1G as Senior)

2005
#4 - Rashard Mendenhall
#10 - Doug Pilcher
Biggest Miss - Tony Moeaki (TE - Iowa - All B1G as Senior)

2006
#2 - Isiah Williams
#4 - Chris James
#5 - Marques Wilkins
#8 - Garrett Edwards
Biggest Miss - Sergio Brown (S - Notre Dame - Two year starter)

2007
#1 - Martez Wilson
#4 - Josh Brent
#5 - Anthony Morris
#9 - Jack Cornell
Biggest Miss - Bryan Bulaga (OT - Iowa - 2009 B1G Offensive Lineman of the Year)

2008
#5 - Graham Pocic
#8 - Glenn Foster
Biggest Miss - Darius Fleming (OLB - Notre Dame - Three year starter)

2009
#2 - Terry Hawthorne
#6 - Lendell Buckner
#9 - Michael Buchanan
#10 - Leon Hill
Biggest Miss - Chris Watt (OG - Notre Dame - Three year starter)

2010
#7 - Chandler Whitmer
Biggest Miss - CJ Fiedorowicz (TE - Iowa - All B1G as Senior)

2011
#10 - Clint Tucker
Biggest Miss - DaVaris Daniels (WR - Notre Dame - Biletnikoff Award Watch List )

2012
None
Biggest Miss - Your choice of Jahleel Johnson (DT - Iowa), Jordan Westerkamp (WR - Nebraska), or Antonio Morrison (LB - Florida)

2013
#6 - Aaron Bailey
Biggest Miss - Ethan Pocic (OG - LSU - 2016 First Team All American)

2014
None
Biggest Miss - JaMarco Jones (OT - OSU - Two-Time All B1G)

2015
#2 - Gabe Megginson
#6 - Dre Brown
Biggest Miss - Terry Beckner Jr. (DT - Missouri)

2016
None
Biggest Miss - Tuf Borland (LB - OSU)

2017
#6 - Ricky Smalling
#8 - Kendrick Green
Biggest Miss - AJ Epenesa (DE - Iowa)

2018
None
Biggest Miss - Luke Ford (TE - Georgia)


As you can see, the well has severely dried up since 2009. Plus, all of the players that Illinois was able to get post-2009 have either not panned out, transferred, or dealt with severe injuries. Hopefully the 2017 class can re-establish some credibility. IF Illinois was able to secure commitments from Jason Bargy, Jahleel Billingsley, and Duke Olges, it would be the best group of talent from the state of Illinois in ten years.
 
#788      

FT35

Naperville
Outstanding breakdown. Just illustrates how challenging it is for this staff to recruit in-state.

I didn't mean to pick on Crystal Lake. In all honesty, it's gotten to the point where you can count on almost any Illinois player with another Power 5 offer to go elsewhere. It's crazy how I feel better about our chances of landing Sorrells than I do about someone like Josiah Miamen.

Guedet is already gone and things are looking worse for Broeker now that he has offers from Kentucky and Minnesota. This is why landing someone like McCray would be massive, even if he's not a top 10 instate recruit. It goes without saying how big guys like Bargy and Jahleel could be for us.

There's just too much negativity about this program and the state in general if you live here. This is why the staff has to go elsewhere to recruit and thankfully they have established a connection with Bishop Dunne and Trinity Catholic.

Dug into the state of Illinois top-10 recruits by year because we were talking a few weeks back about how often these recruits sign with Illinois and how IF Illinois football can make some degree of improvement regarding convincing the best players to stay home it would be a big improvement on talent.

State of Illinois Top 10 Recruits that Signed with Illinois

2003
#2 - Martin O'Donnell
#6 - James Ryan
Biggest Miss - Mike Jones (OT - Iowa - Freshman All-American)

2004
#5 - Sam Carson
Biggest Miss - Roland Martin (OG - Michigan State - All B1G as Senior)

2005
#4 - Rashard Mendenhall
#10 - Doug Pilcher
Biggest Miss - Tony Moeaki (TE - Iowa - All B1G as Senior)

2006
#2 - Isiah Williams
#4 - Chris James
#5 - Marques Wilkins
#8 - Garrett Edwards
Biggest Miss - Sergio Brown (S - Notre Dame - Two year starter)

2007
#1 - Martez Wilson
#4 - Josh Brent
#5 - Anthony Morris
#9 - Jack Cornell
Biggest Miss - Bryan Bulaga (OT - Iowa - 2009 B1G Offensive Lineman of the Year)

2008
#5 - Graham Pocic
#8 - Glenn Foster
Biggest Miss - Darius Fleming (OLB - Notre Dame - Three year starter)

2009
#2 - Terry Hawthorne
#6 - Lendell Buckner
#9 - Michael Buchanan
#10 - Leon Hill
Biggest Miss - Chris Watt (OG - Notre Dame - Three year starter)

2010
#7 - Chandler Whitmer
Biggest Miss - CJ Fiedorowicz (TE - Iowa - All B1G as Senior)

2011
#10 - Clint Tucker
Biggest Miss - DaVaris Daniels (WR - Notre Dame - Biletnikoff Award Watch List )

2012
None
Biggest Miss - Your choice of Jahleel Johnson (DT - Iowa), Jordan Westerkamp (WR - Nebraska), or Antonio Morrison (LB - Florida)

2013
#6 - Aaron Bailey
Biggest Miss - Ethan Pocic (OG - LSU - 2016 First Team All American)

2014
None
Biggest Miss - JaMarco Jones (OT - OSU - Two-Time All B1G)

2015
#2 - Gabe Megginson
#6 - Dre Brown
Biggest Miss - Terry Beckner Jr. (DT - Missouri)

2016
None
Biggest Miss - Tuf Borland (LB - OSU)

2017
#6 - Ricky Smalling
#8 - Kendrick Green
Biggest Miss - AJ Epenesa (DE - Iowa)

2018
None
Biggest Miss - Luke Ford (TE - Georgia)


As you can see, the well has severely dried up since 2009. Plus, all of the players that Illinois was able to get post-2009 have either not panned out, transferred, or dealt with severe injuries. Hopefully the 2017 class can re-establish some credibility. IF Illinois was able to secure commitments from Jason Bargy, Jahleel Billingsley, and Duke Olges, it would be the best group of talent from the state of Illinois in ten years.
 
#793      

illini80

Forgottonia
They landed me ;)

But yeah, losing two guys from my high school to Iowa last year really sucked.

My class sent a raft of kids to U of I, but I'm told by a friend who is a teacher in the district that kids rarely go there anymore due to the high price and scholarships available elsewhere (apparently dozens go to Iowa State every year now). And McHenry County was never exactly a hotbed of Illini fandom to begin with.
In my day, anyone who could get in went to UI. My kids age, only a handful did. Now, rarely do you see a graduate headed for Champaign. Simply costs too much compared to the Iowa States (Which is a darn good school). The UofI has a short term strategy to get the most $$ in tuition each year due to the Illinois budget fiasco. Long term, I think it erodes interest in Illinos which will be felt for generations.
 
#794      
In my day, anyone who could get in went to UI. My kids age, only a handful did. Now, rarely do you see a graduate headed for Champaign. Simply costs too much compared to the Iowa States (Which is a darn good school). The UofI has a short term strategy to get the most $$ in tuition each year due to the Illinois budget fiasco. Long term, I think it erodes interest in Illinos which will be felt for generations.

Sure, but enrollment of in-state students is actually up. So I'm not sure what the deal is.

But obviously, a winning football team will do more to break the ice among football recruits in the ABI northwest suburbs than anything with tuition.
 
#795      

EJ33

San Francisco
Dug into the state of Illinois top-10 recruits by year because we were talking a few weeks back about how often these recruits sign with Illinois and how IF Illinois football can make some degree of improvement regarding convincing the best players to stay home it would be a big improvement on talent.

State of Illinois Top 10 Recruits that Signed with Illinois

2003
#2 - Martin O'Donnell
#6 - James Ryan
Biggest Miss - Mike Jones (OT - Iowa - Freshman All-American)

2004
#5 - Sam Carson
Biggest Miss - Roland Martin (OG - Michigan State - All B1G as Senior)

2005
#4 - Rashard Mendenhall
#10 - Doug Pilcher
Biggest Miss - Tony Moeaki (TE - Iowa - All B1G as Senior)

2006
#2 - Isiah Williams
#4 - Chris James
#5 - Marques Wilkins
#8 - Garrett Edwards
Biggest Miss - Sergio Brown (S - Notre Dame - Two year starter)

2007
#1 - Martez Wilson
#4 - Josh Brent
#5 - Anthony Morris
#9 - Jack Cornell
Biggest Miss - Bryan Bulaga (OT - Iowa - 2009 B1G Offensive Lineman of the Year)

2008
#5 - Graham Pocic
#8 - Glenn Foster
Biggest Miss - Darius Fleming (OLB - Notre Dame - Three year starter)

2009
#2 - Terry Hawthorne
#6 - Lendell Buckner
#9 - Michael Buchanan
#10 - Leon Hill
Biggest Miss - Chris Watt (OG - Notre Dame - Three year starter)

2010
#7 - Chandler Whitmer
Biggest Miss - CJ Fiedorowicz (TE - Iowa - All B1G as Senior)

2011
#10 - Clint Tucker
Biggest Miss - DaVaris Daniels (WR - Notre Dame - Biletnikoff Award Watch List )

2012
None
Biggest Miss - Your choice of Jahleel Johnson (DT - Iowa), Jordan Westerkamp (WR - Nebraska), or Antonio Morrison (LB - Florida)

2013
#6 - Aaron Bailey
Biggest Miss - Ethan Pocic (OG - LSU - 2016 First Team All American)

2014
None
Biggest Miss - JaMarco Jones (OT - OSU - Two-Time All B1G)

2015
#2 - Gabe Megginson
#6 - Dre Brown
Biggest Miss - Terry Beckner Jr. (DT - Missouri)

2016
None
Biggest Miss - Tuf Borland (LB - OSU)

2017
#6 - Ricky Smalling
#8 - Kendrick Green
Biggest Miss - AJ Epenesa (DE - Iowa)

2018
None
Biggest Miss - Luke Ford (TE - Georgia)


As you can see, the well has severely dried up since 2009. Plus, all of the players that Illinois was able to get post-2009 have either not panned out, transferred, or dealt with severe injuries. Hopefully the 2017 class can re-establish some credibility. IF Illinois was able to secure commitments from Jason Bargy, Jahleel Billingsley, and Duke Olges, it would be the best group of talent from the state of Illinois in ten years.

Wow, thanks for this.

We need to put a wall on the Iowa border.
 
#797      

mhuml32

Cincinnati, OH
Thanks for the extensive research. Quick follow up, when you mention biggest misses, are those the only guys in the top ten who had a positive college career? Are the rest eithe not high d1 or just didn't pan out? Thanks.


I did my best to identify the top-10 recruit in Illinois that ended up having the best college career. Some had Illinois involved in the recruitment, some did not. Some years had numerous prospects that contended for best players, others it was a real challenge to find a quality career.
 
#798      

illini80

Forgottonia
Sure, but enrollment of in-state students is actually up. So I'm not sure what the deal is.

But obviously, a winning football team will do more to break the ice among football recruits in the ABI northwest suburbs than anything with tuition.

Discussion for another time and place I suppose, but this 5 year old article says otherwise. Certainly not a factor in football recruiting. :thumb:
 
#800      

illini80

Forgottonia
The new administration has reversed that. They're expanding enrollment generally.
That's a good sign, but noteworthy that in the early 2000's it was approx 90%. Certainly overall enrollment is up considerably since then so in raw numbers the change is less significant.

Urbana-Champaign also did not record gains in the number of Illinoisans enrolling, which is a key demographic in the system's growth campaign. Fewer freshmen this year were Illinoisans — 5,507 versus 5,664 — and Illinoisans also made up a smaller proportion of the incoming class: 73.2 percent versus 74.6 percent. According to the news release, Urbana-Champaign admitted 400 more Illinois applicants this year.
 
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