Originally Posted by
EyeoftheIllini
I'd love to see Underwood & Co. pull in THT. Not only would he be a great add to the team and clamp down on Chicago, but maybe it would quiet down the "Underwood keeps missing, other first year coaches are recruiting, woe is me" people.
Lol if they're still complaining after Ayo, I say let em holler.
I have not seen any of those comments after last night, have you? Look, AYO was a HUGE get, and the words he said after his announcement is monumentally important for the future recruiting and image of Illinois. He bought into the sell that others have tried before. Underwood's ability to sell the fast paced, score in 7 seconds coaching style was huge i.m.o. Ayo clearly sated how he wants to leave his legacy in his home state, do whatever it takes to bring talent here, restore the roar, etc.. Undoubtedly those words combined with his skills make him a 7* recruit.
Saying all this, we still need more commits to obtain position balance, class balance, etc... We fortunately have a couple guys who might be able to move up in a short time, so we better have guys to move in. Obviously we need size and athleticism, and I am sure the staff is hot on the trail for those types of players. Ayo will certainly help when the staff goes into any living room.
I am just not able to feel this class is a smashing success, or even be satisfied with Ayo alone. I get we have been nut punched by Chicago studs recently, however; we should expect more now without feeling "greedy", or unappreciative of how big of a get Ayo is. We have had great classes over the years with Chicago/Illinois kids and plenty of stars, so I for one believe we can do it for 2018 now that Ayo is in!
Come on staff, add a couple more pieces to this class and keep this train rolling. I don't care how many stars are after their names, get the guys you feel will be stars!