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Illinois Football: Illini offer scholarship to Samuel Oshodi

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini helmets during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 48-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini helmets during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 48-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois football team needs to continue building the class of 2018.

This class only has one player right now and that is quarterback Coran Taylor. He is going to be a special player for the Illini down the road. Now the Illini are looking to potentially add more wide receiver help to the mix.

Yesterday, it was announced that the Illinois football team offered Samuel Oshodi a scholarship. This was an offer to a potential diamond in the rough.

Oshodi isn’t ranked by the recruiting sites, but he does have some solid DI scholarship offers. In addition to the Illinois offer, Oregon, South Florida and UCF have all offered him as well.

Illinois has had some success with Florida recruits. Oshodi is from St. Thomas Aquinas High School and Lovie Smith has already started to create the pipeline to that program. That will be a benefit to the Illini.

But, one negative is the programs looking at Oshodi right now. UCF and South Florida are both in his backyard so they have the location factor. Oregon may seem like a wildcard, but they now have former South Florida head coach Willie Taggart as their head coach, so Oshodi is already familiar with him.

I hope Illinois can get in on the recruitment of Oshodi. He is a talented player and I like a lot of what he brings to the table.

Oshodi has solid speed on the football field. He brings just enough speed to be dangerous and this helps him elude tacklers. I also like his ability to go and get the ball. He can jump and get the ball at the highest point and bring it down. His hands enable him to catch just about anything on the football field.

With the skills that Oshodi brings to the table, I would like to see him come to Champaign. There would be room for him as well.

I figure Oshodi would come in year one and be redshirted. This would make his redshirt freshman campaign in 2019. That means anyone on the current roster who are sophomores would be seniors and anyone who is a junior or senior would be graduated.

Next: Top 3 in-state recruiting targets for Lovie Smith

Oshodi would have plenty of opportunities to come in and play right away. He has the skills to be a good slot receiver and I hope the Illini can pull this kid in.

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