Illinois Football: Two big recruits make Scout Top 125
The Illinois football team has cast a wide net over the class of 2019.
There are many players Lovie Smith and the Illini coaching staff are pursuing but some are more realistic than others. It was interesting to see what Illinois targets made the new Scout Top 125 rankings for 2019.
Two players out of the handful the Illini have offered in the top 125 stood out. These two players would be big for the future of the program.
DE Jason Bargy
The Scout top 125 player rankings are out and only one player from the state of Illinois made the top 125. That player is Jason Bargy.
Bargy is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound defensive end from Momence High School in Momence, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 122 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 19 defensive end in the nation. Getting a player like Bargy would be big for the program.
Illinois is, of course, going to have to deal with many big-time programs in the recruitment of Bargy. He already has offers from Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Purdue as well. Over the last decade, the Fighting Irish have been known to pluck some great in-state talent and that has to start changing.
When 2019 rolls around, the Illini will start needing some help on the defensive line. Jamal Milan and Kenyon Jackson will both be seniors at the defensive tackle position, and Lere Oladipo and Owen Carney will be juniors at defensive end. That is going to be one great defensive line.
If there is plenty of depth by 2019, expect the Illini to redshirt Bargy and save him for 2020. He will then get the starting role in 2021 and be an all-time great for three years with the Illini. The NFL Draft would be the next step after that.
OLB Anthony Solomon
It may be a longshot for the Illini to snag Anthony Solomon but with the connections down in Florida, anything is possible. If Lovie can pull him in, it would be an impressive feat.
Solomon is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound outside linebacker from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 120 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 9 outside linebacker in the nation. He is a special talent and someone the Illini should be putting resources into.
The scholarship offers for Solomon have been flying in since his recruitment started. He is already up to 25 offers from programs throughout the country. From the sounds of it, Solomon has Michigan as his No. 1 team right now, though.
There are a few draws Illinois brings to the table. The first being the close relationship Lovie and the Illini coaching staff is developing with the St. Thomas Aquinas football program. Illinois currently has four players on the roster from that high school and that will help with recruiting.
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Another draw for the Illini is that they need linebacker help. The proven linebackers currently on the Illinois roster are going to be gone by that time. That means Solomon would have a chance to start day one for this program. He would be sensational in the Orange and Blue.