The Illinois football team is in the middle of building their class of 2018.
This process has been a little slow compared to other programs, but those teams have also had their head coach build a relationship with the players for more than a year.
Illinois currently has one player committed to play in 2018 and that is quarterback, Coran Taylor. He is going to be a great player for the Illini and someone who might start early on in his career.
I wanted Illinois to focus on building the class of 2018 through in-state talent, but that ended quickly when some of the top players decided to go to other programs.
One avenue that Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff went to get some talented players is the state of Missouri. The class of 2018 has some great players coming out of this state.
Getting Missouri players is huge for the Illini. They need to snag a handful of these players so they can continue building for the future. Illinois actually is on the radar for some of these great players as well.
I want to see Illinois become a powerhouse in the football world. Here are the top five recruits out of the state of Missouri.