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Illinois Football: Class of 2017 Recruits Visiting This Weekend

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 12, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith 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 head coach Lovie Smith 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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Illinois Football
Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; A detailed view of the Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

LB Delshawn Phillips

An interesting recruit that is visiting this weekend is linebacker, Delshawn Phillips.

Phillips is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound, inside linebacker out of Detroit, Michigan where he attended the football powerhouse Cass Technical.

Coming out of high school Phillips wasn’t a highly regarded player.  He was a 2-star recruit who was the No. 2157 player in the class of 2014 and the No. 35 player in the state of Michigan.

Phillips would sign on with the Western Michigan Broncos and then later transfer out of the program.  He attended Garden City Community College this past season.

Now, Phillips looks to have a fresh start with a big-time program.  He has already been offered and committed to Arizona, but he is still keeping his options open.

This weekend is huge for the Illini to snag such a talented linebacker.  He is the No. 20 JUCO in the class of 2017 and the No. 2 JUCO in the state of Michigan.

Illinois only offered Phillips on December 4 and he is already taking a visit to Champaign.  This would be great to get him because he would help bolster the linebacker position.

Illinois is losing Hardy Nickerson Jr heading into 2017.  He led the team in tackles and interceptions last season.

The Illini are also losing Mike Svetina who was a solid backup as well.

Beyond Nickerson, there are a few other good linebackers that I liked in 2016.  Tre Watson and Julian Jones really showed why they should be starters next season.

Next: Defensive MVP for the 2016 Season

But, besides for those two linebackers there is plenty of room for snaps.  I think having an experienced linebacker like Phillips coming in would help this program immediately.

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