Illinois Football: 5 recruits who have the Illini on top list
![Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A view of the Big Ten logo on an end zone pylon prior to the game of the Penn State Nittany Lions against the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship college football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A view of the Big Ten logo on an end zone pylon prior to the game of the Penn State Nittany Lions against the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship college football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/71d95b38812eaa8d838593650b46c90e66589998df7896f3fa2a586586a5f45c.jpg)
TJ Ivy (Top 4)
The Illinois football red zone offense hasn’t been good in quite some time. They need a dominant pass catcher in the end zone so they can get points on the board.
Snagging a player like TJ Ivy could help a lot in the scoring department. He is a 6-foot-5, 217-pound tight end from Marist High School in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1182 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 31 player in the state of Illinois.
Back on May 18, Ivy decided to cut his list down. Usually, lists are cut to 15, 12 or 10 teams, but Ivy decided to make it only between four programs he will be choosing from. Those four programs are West Virginia, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois.
This is a more manageable list for Lovie and the Illini. There is a good possibility they can beat the other three programs out for Ivy’s commitment because they do have the location factor and they also need more tight end help as well.
Illinois doesn’t have an established tight end heading into 2017. Unless someone steps up this year, look for there to be an open competition in 2018 as well. This has to be enticing when looking at the Illini program.
It would be nice to add another big tight end to the class of 2018. The offense could always use help and the red zone could be an area of strength in the near future.