Illinois Football adds JUCO DB Prince Ford

Illinois Football adds JUCO DB Prince Ford

While all of Illinois fans wait on very important basketball decisions, Illinois Football continues their recruiting momentum. This recruitment went a little under the radar, however JUCO DB Prince Ford announced on Twitter that he will commit to the University of Illinois. Per his Twitter page, Ford played at Golden West Community College in California this past year and will have multiple years of eligibility remaining. Ford joins a group of intriguing defensive back commitments from the JUCO/transfer route.

Recently, Illinois Football added Clayton Bush and Demetrius Hill to their defensive back room. Adding Ford means that Illinois will have four new additions to the defensive back including Louisville transfer, Nicario Harper.

Full-qualifier| 6’0ft 170LB|3.0 gpa|Recruitment still open pic.twitter.com/oplTOzjjhO

— Prince Ford (@PrinceFord_) April 21, 2023

Building depth.

These moves have made it clear that Illinois wants more out of their defensive back room. Taz Nicholson is the main returner out of the defensive backs, however he had season ending wrist surgery to end off last year. Additionally, star freshman, Matthew Bailey also had a significant surgery on his foot that required him to miss all of Spring Ball. Even with Nicholson healthy, there is only very young defensive backs available. Players like Xavier Scott, Tyson Rooks, Elijah McCantos and TJ Griffin are all talented players, however expecting them to contribute in their second year of football is a tall ask.

Additionally, Tyler Strain played very well and has some experience, however he does not have the ideal size that coach Aaron Henry would like at the position. Adding these three guys makes a lot of sense given the room. Additionally, Bret Bielema did not sound fully sold on the thought of Nicario Harper play a ton of reps. He alluded to the fact that Harper needs to learn how to play within the defense. Adding Bush, Hill and now Ford alleviates the burden on the current roster. Ford had 19 tackles and two interceptions at the JUCO level as a freshman. He also totalled 23 tackles and 1 interception last year as a Sophomore.

Is Illinois done?

It is difficult to say whether Illinois Football is done with their class of 2023. They additionally hosted two wide receivers from California junior colleges this past weekend. It seems very likely that one of the receivers will commit, however it is unclear when. Until that happens, Illinois fans will continue to focus on the decisions looming for the basketball team.

Regardless, Ford’s addition is a quality add that will give Illinois some toughness and physicality at the defensive back position.