It's not lack of scholarships so much as a decision to turn our attentions elsewhere, but Sterling Brown, Larry Austin, Sean O'Mara, Peyton Allen and especially Glynn Watson and Ed Morrow come to mind. Plus not Creaning Myke Henry. And I'm just focusing on the state of Illinois.
Put Watson, O'Mara and Henry in the spots currently occupied by Nichols, Thorne, and Lewis. That's not a much better team? Post-hoc analysis, but still.
Maybe it is just me, but I fail to see the love for Austin and O'Mara.