1. TJ Ivy Top 4
The Illinois football team has been missing a true tight end for quite some time. They have recruited some pretty good ones in the recruiting rankings but there hasn’t been that standout in the Orange and Blue.
Getting a tight end like TJ Ivy would help the Illini develop the position to where it can be relied on in the red zone. That would be huge for scoring opportunities and the Illini would win more games. But, Illinois would have to beat out Iowa, Indiana and West Virginia.
Ivy 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. 1,296 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 33 player in the state of Illinois. This would be a solid get for Lovie and the Illini because he is a need for the team and he is an in-state product.
Illinois has a nice group of tight ends currently on the roster but no one has proved to be the No. 1. This year, look for Griffin Palmer to emerge as the starter but he hasn’t proved anything yet. That means, if Ivy would come into the program in 2018, there might be playing time available. This has to be an intriguing option for him.