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Illinois Football: Luke Ford is important for the class of 2018

By Rees Woodcock

Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a football and pylon before the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a football and pylon before the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois football team is heading in the right direction as a program.

Lovie Smith has this group of players and coaches moving toward a bigger goal of making bowl games every year and competing for Big Ten Championships. I have always been a big proponent of winning the state of Illinois in recruiting. In what was technically Lovie’s first recruiting class – the class of 2017 – he did a solid job with snagging in-state talent. He pulled in three of the top 12 in the state, which wasn’t bad considering the turmoil the program had been in prior to Lovie’s arrival.

But let’s call the class of 2018 in the state of Illinois what it is, not the best in the last decade. Illinois’ willingness to go after the state of Illinois reflects that fact. Lovie has focused on a select few players in the state, and he has had three solid recruits commit. But, for the most part, they are going out of state for their talent and are making top lists for these recruits. Yes, there were some solid state of Illinois players who spurned the Illini for other programs, but overall, the class has only produced one top 300 player. That one player is Luke Ford.

Ford is a special talent who the Illini have been pursuing extremely hard since Lovie took the reins. He is a tight end who is the No. 93 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 5 tight end in the nation. He is actually the highest rated tight end in the state of Illinois since CJ Fiedorowicz came out of high school in 2010. He was the No. 66 ranked player that year and is now playing in the NFL.

Getting Ford would be huge for the Illini and Lovie. The little top talent that is in the state of Illinois has gone elsewhere, and the Illini need to snag Ford to show the world Lovie can own the state in recruiting. He has been very selective in the recruiting process and Ford is one of his main targets.

Ford would also be the highest rated tight end recruit for the Illini since Scout tracked it dating back to 2002. The next highest rated tight end was Jon Davis in 2011. He was the No. 138 player in the nation that year.

Most fans thought Ford wasn’t going to be in reach, though. He committed to Arkansas back on March 14 but has since reopened his recruitment. He is now receiving, even more, offers than before and this will make bringing him to Champaign an even bigger task. But, Lovie still has a chance to snag this talented tight end.

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Ford would be the best tight end the Illini have had in the last 15 years. He is a top 100 recruit in the nation and someone who could help turn this program into a Big Ten contender. The future is bright for this kid no matter where he goes, but hopefully, he finds Champaign as the right place for his career.

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