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Illinois Football: Jordyn Slaughter is what the Illini needed

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 22, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith on the sideline in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith on the sideline in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The offensive line is an area the Illinois football team needs to address moving forward.

This is an area that had some bright moments last season but overall, was kind of a disappointment. Most of that group returns minus a few who graduated like Austin Schmidt, Joe Spencer and Connor Brennan. Illinois also lost Darta Lee after he was arrested this offseason. So, what was already a struggling offensive line is now extremely thin.

Lovie Smith and Luke Butkus also have three good offensive linemen coming in from the class of 2017 as well. Alex Palczewski, Larry Boyd and Vederian Lowe all should be key contributors within the next two seasons. But even with those three new additions, Illinois is still looking at a questionable offensive line with very little depth. That is why the commitment of Jordyn Slaughter over the weekend was so crucial.

Slaughter announced he has committed to the Illinois football program. He had offers from teams like Bowling Green and Toledo but decided to pick the Illini as his final destination. This was great for Slaughter and the Illini.

Illinois is getting a player who is a three-star recruit ranked as the No. 1,240 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 31 player in the state of Illinois. They needed more depth on the team and that is what they are getting with Slaughter. And bonus, the kid is from the state of Illinois as well. The more relationships the coaching staff creates with the high school coaches in-state the better.

Slaughter is also benefiting from this commitment as well. He gets to come to a program where he will likely sit a year and learn how the game is played from a coach in Butkus who has played in the NFL and has coached at both the NFL and college level. That is invaluable knowledge he will be getting.

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After sitting out a year, Slaughter then will have a chance to shine. He will, hopefully, have developed into a solid offensive lineman and be either a starter or a solid backup. That is how I have his career mapped out at Illinois right now. He is exactly what they need for 2018 and is a nice addition to the team.

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