Illinois Football Lands Top In-State Lineman

Illinois Football Lands Top In-State Lineman

Illinois Football has started the week off with some outstanding news. They have secured three public commitments from great prep prospects after a busy weekend of official visitors. The headliner so far has been the most recent commit. In-state prospect, Eddie Tuerk chose to commit to Illinois over offers from Northwestern and Miami. Tuerk is a huge in-state prospect that is a massive win for Bret Bielema and his staff. Tuerk’s sister attends the University of Illinois and his father has ties to the school as well, however Miami and Northwestern made the La Grange native a priority.

Tuerk is the highest rated prospect currently in the Illinois class of 2024 and will fill a need on this roster.

A need in the trenches.

According to 247sports, Tuerk ranks just outside the top-10 prospects in the state, however is currently a top-50 defensive line product. Tuerk’s recruiting profile is similar to that of Kendrick Green. He is a high three-star prospect that is being recruited as both a lineman on both sides of the ball. Green notably entered his college career as a defensive lineman. He had to redshirt, and struggled to find the field until he made the switch.

After the switch, Green became an NFL prospect drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round. Tuerk has very similar versatility. Terrance Jamison has led the charge for the prospect out of Lyons Township. This makes sense given the need at the defensive line. Jamison has struggled to win a marquee recruitment during his time at Illinois, however has made great use of the talent at Illinois. Most notably, the Law Firm has gained significant traction as no-doubt NFL prospects. The D-line is the strongest unit of the 2023-24 squad because of its immense skill. However, it is bound to lose their “Law Firm” after this year. Additionally, Gabe Jacas and Seth Coleman both could enter the NFL draft talk themselves.

A huge in-state statement

Winning a prospect over Miami and Northwestern is a good look for Illinois. Miami has unlimited resources in the NIL world and Northwestern always seems to resonate with the kids from the suburbs. Landing Tuerk after an official visit over the weekend bodes very well. Tuerk joins Easton Baker and Demetrius John as the official visitors from the weekend that committed to Illinois. All eyes turn towards Luke Williams, another in-state prospect who visited over the weekend.

Williams will be announcing later this day between Illinois and Purdue. The sells are incredibly similar, and honestly it would hurt to lose a prospect to Ryan Walters and the Boilermakers.