Illinois Football to host Top In-State Athlete

Illinois Football to host Top In-State Athlete

Illinois Football has added another official visitor to the weekend of June 9th. On Thursday morning, Allen Trieu and the crew at 247 reported that Naperville North’s Luke Williams will visit the University of Illinois. We have reported plenty of times that it seems that Illinois is loading up on that weekend. There are plenty of in-state prospects visiting Champaign, and Illinois will look to hit some home-runs during that time. Players like Eddie Tuerk, Jeremiah Beasley, and now Luke Williams headline the weekend.

Illinois currently has 3 commits in the class of 2024. Currently they have a QB, DL and OL committed, however they will certainly look to beef up the class with some skill players. Williams is a marquee recruit from Naperville North, and one that Illinois has to win.

The Marquee In-state prospect.

Williams is a 4 star prospect out of Naperville North that has positional versatility. He projects as either a defensive back or Wide receiver. Illinois has the sell for Williams to play either given the amount they will have to replace after this year, however they are likely using their NFL sell to pursue Williams to play DB at Illinois. There is no secret that Illinois has started to produce pro DB’s at a fast pace, and have also maximized players who did not play much previously. Kerby Joseph and Kendall Smith all represent the idea that Illinois puts players in a position to succeed in the backfield.

Additionally, Williams would fit seamlessly into the position. Kerby Joseph struggled with finding a position, however was simply asked to be a ballhawk during his season with Ryan Walters. Joseph used his athleticism and quick-twitch to become a 3rd round pick in the NFL.

A Hard nosed battle.

Illinois has slowly found themselves more and more involved in these kind of recruitments. A few years ago, Bielema and his staff were heavily pursuing Austin Brown, who ultimately committed to Wisconsin. The past year, Illinois won Malik Elzy and were heavily involved with Roderick Pierce, who committed to Michigan. This year, the in-state prize seems to be Luke Williams. Williams may not be the top 50 overall prospect that sets the world on fire, however he is one of those top 10 in-state prospects that can become a star at the University of Illinois.

Williams will be fresh off a visit to Purdue during his trip to Champaign. With the red carpet rolled out, Bret Bielema and co. will be ready to land some big fish.