Illinois Football: Illini Recruits Signed and Committed for 2017

24. . Team Ranking: 32. Big Ten Ranking: 7. ********SIGNED********

OLB. Illinois needed linebacker help and they received that with JUCO transfer Phillips. He is enrolling early and will participate in spring practice.. 4-star. Garden City CC. DEL'SHAWN PHILLIPS

DT. Getting highly regarded talent is something previous coaches failed to do. Lovie snagging a player like Kendrick Green will go a long way in building this program.. 4-star. Peoria, IL. KENDRICK GREEN

WR. The wide receiver core continues to get stronger by the day. Adding a four-star player like Smalling will only benefit this offense now and into the future.. 4-star. Chicago, IL. RICKY SMALLING

DE. Carney is a 6-foot-4, 229-pound beast of a defensive tackle. He enrolled early and will be participating in spring practice.. 3-star. Miami, FL. OWEN CARNEY

OT. Watkins is listed as a defensive tackle on Scout, but will be playing on the offensive line for the Illini. He also enrolled early and will be at spring practice.. 3-star. Cincinnati, OH. HOWARD WATKINS

CARMONI GREEN. WR. The Illini wide receiver core just got strong with the signing of Green. He enrolled early and will participate in spring practice.. 3-star. Miami, FL

Louisville, KY. NATE HOBBS. CB. Illinois had an issue with stopping the pass last season. They received a commitment from cornerback Nate Hobbs and the defensive backfield will benefit greatly.. 3-star

The Illinois backfield is already deep, but adding Bonner made it even deeper. He will be a big-time player for the Illini in a few years.. 3-star. Cincinnati, OH. RA'VON BONNER. RB

Fort Lauderdale, FL. MIKE EPSTEIN. RB. Epstein is a player who really burst onto the scene down in Florida. He committed to the Illini early on and I think he will be one of the best in no time.. 3-star

OT. Illinois received some more offensive line help with the Palczewski commitment. He was a great late find for Lovie Smith and the Illini.. 3-Star. Mount Prospect, IL. ALEX PALCZEWSKI

LOUIS DORSEY. TE. Despite being listed as a wide receivery by Scout, Dorsey will come in as a tight end. He will likely be competitive for the starting role come September.. 3-star. Jacksonville, FL

St. Louis, MO. LARRY BOYD. OG. The run and pass blocking for the Illini was suspect last season. With the addition of Boyd, I don’t think we have to worry too much about that anymore.. 3-star

KENDALL SMITH. WR. The Illinois football team has a deep wide receiver core. Smith adds depth to this squad and I expect him to get snaps early on in his career.. 3-star. Bolingbrook, IL

St. Louis, MO. TONY ADAMS. CB. Lovie is building the Illini defense into a powerhouse. Adding a pass defender like Adams will go a long way in accomplishing that goal.. 3-star

Another offensive lineman that will protect the future quarterback is Lowe. He is a big-time get for the Illini and someone to watch out for.. 3-star. Rockford, IL. VEDERIAN LOWE. OG

Building the defensive line back up after the entire starting four left was a priority of Lovie Smith. He added Oladipo to help that cause.. 3-star. Huntley, IL. OLALERE OLADIPO. DE

3-star. Chicago Heights, IL. CAM THOMAS. QB. The quarterback situation is by no means set for the Illinois football team. I fully expect Thomas to compete this season for the starting job.

Chicago, IL. MARC MONDESIR. OLB. The linebacker situation was iffy after Hardy Nickerson departed. But, with the addition of Mondesir, things seems to be settling down.. 3-star

Largo, FL. BOBBY ROUNDTREE. DE. Roundtree is a great defensive end that gives the Illini a major boost on the depth chart. He will be an impact player in the near future.. 3-Star

Mountain View, CA. BENNETT WILLIAMS. CB. Williams is a great steal for Lovie and the Illini. He is from Mountain View, California and will help the defensive secondary tremendously.. 3-Star

Fort Myers, FL. DAWSON DEGROOT. ATH. DeGroot is a late pickup for the Illinois football team. He was a Florida International target but the Illini flipped him yesterday.. 2-Star

JAMES KNIGHT. OLB. Illinois focused on getting some talented linebackers in the class of 2017 and snagging Knight was a big part of that process. He will be an asset in a year or two.. 2-star. East Saint Louis, IL

DE. Woods was a nice flip for the Illini. He originially committed to Memphis but decided Illinois was the best place for him. He is a defensive end out of Hueytown, Alabama.. 2-Star. Hueytown, AL. JAMAL WOODS

DE. Pate is a late addition to this Illinois football team as well. He will provide tremendous defensive line help for the Illini in the future.. 2-Star. Jacksonville, FL. DEON PATE

We Will Win. ***COMMITTED/NOT SIGNED*** . 1. . Illinois Fighting Illini

QB. Lawson is going to give the Illinois football team some great quarterback play. He won’t be joining the program until he finishes up his associates degree, but he should be in come August.. 3-Star. Tampa Bay, FL. DWAYNE LAWSON