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Illinois Football: Ten Class of 2018 Recruits on My Illini Wish List

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini seniors salute the crowd prior to a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini seniors salute the crowd prior to a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general shot of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

DE Devin O’Rourke

When Lovie Smith entered the Illinois football program as the head coach my main goal for him was to win the state of Illinois.

This goal didn’t mean to get a handful of Illinois players that were the No. 14 ranked in the state. I mean I want the Illini to get the top tier recruits from the area.

The first player I want to focus on for 2018 is Devin O’Rourke.

O’Rourke is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound defensive end out of Frankfort, Illinois. He is ranked as a four-star recruit who is the No. 266 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 1 defensive end in the state of Illinois.

The recruitment is heating up for O’Rourke. He already has a good deal of scholarship offers that includes Nebraska, Penn State, and Wisconsin.

Illinois needs to snag O’Rourke to continue to prove they are starting to win the state again. This hasn’t happened in quite some time.

The Illini already had a solid class of defensive ends coming for 2017, but adding a player the caliber of O’Rourke would help elevate the program up to a contender in the Big Ten.

I think Lovie can get O’Rourke and continue to build the program from within. He is an important recruit and will prove that Illinois is here to stay.

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