The talent that continues to keep an eye on Champaign for the class of 2017 is quite impressive.
Lovie Smith and the Illinois football team might be one step closer to securing a big-time defensive back for this class as well.
Just about two months ago TraJon Cotton cut his list down to his top 12 teams and included the Illini in the mix.
The other 11 programs were Hawaii, Oregon, Memphis, Nebraska, Utah, Colorado State, California, Arizona State, UCLA, Oregon State, and Colorado.
Getting Cotton seemed to be a far-fetched proposition for Lovie and the Illini. But, that goal doesn’t seem so far anymore.
While Cotton has a list of 12 teams that he will be deciding from, he will be cutting down that list soon. But, it seems that maybe the list is starting to get a little clearer with the visits he will be making.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Right now, Cotton has multiple official visits set up this fall.
The first visit is to Nebraska when they play Oregon on September 17. The next visit is to Illinois when they play Michigan State on November 5.
Cotton is also in the middle of setting up an official visit with Oregon when they play either Colorado on September 24 or Washington on October 8.
As far as visits go, the Illini are one of the first two visits Cotton set up. This has to bode well for Illinois.
Also, if you think about it, the Michigan State game that Cotton will be in Champaign for is going to be huge.
Not only will it be big for recruiting, but I think Illinois could possibly be ranked when that game rolls around.
I am worried about Oregon in this process, though.
Cotton is double-dipping with Oregon because he gets to see them play in Lincoln, Nebraska and he will visit up in Eugene, Oregon as well.
Oregon is also rumored as the leader for this talented recruit.
“I like everything about Illinois and what they are building over there.”
But, there is no doubt that The Lovie Effect is in full force with Cotton. He is considering Illinois 100-percent and that has a lot to do with what Lovie brings to the table.
When asked about what attracted him to Illinois and what position they were thinking, Cotton explained a little more about what their mindset was.
“I like everything about Illinois and what they are building over there. They believe I am a free safety or nickel. I can play cornerback too.”
Lovie has laid out a game plan for each of these recruits and he clearly is getting them to buy-in that things are changing in Champaign.
It seems like Cotton likes that there is a plan for him. He knows he will be important to this team for years to come.
I think it is clear why Cotton would be so important to any team that snags him.
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Cotton is rated as a 3-star safety out of Sacramento, California. He is ranked as the No. 872 best player in the class of 2017 and the No. 75 player in the state of California.
These rankings are way too low in my opinion. Cotton should be rated higher than this because he brings so many tools to the game.
I love Cotton’s hands. He doesn’t let opportunities slip away when they come to him. This will enable him to become a turnover machine.
Another way to become a turnover machine is to cause fumbles. I love how Cotton can strip the ball when a ball carrier approaches him.
These skills will only increase considering one of the greatest defensive back turnover specialists, Charles Tillman, has been working with the Illini lately.
The last trait I will point out is Cottons vision. He can see where the ball is going and act quickly upon it. This is going to make him one of the most feared defensive players in college football.
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I look forward to watching the recruitment of Cotton play out. He is a talented player that will be great at the next level. I just hope the Illini can snag him for the future.