Illinois Football: Future quarterback situation extremely bright

The Illinois football team has 14 commitments for the class of 2018 so far. This class ranks No. 63 in the nation and No. 14 in the Big Ten.

Despite the low ranking, Illinois has some pretty good players signed up right now. The only reason the ranking is so low is that they only have 14 commits so far. That number will rise and so will their recruiting ranking.

The Illini addressed some serious needs in the class of 2018 as well. They secured one of the nation’s top defensive tackles in Calvin Avery, and they also secured a commitment from two extremely talented quarterbacks.

There seems to be only one quarterback on the current Illinois roster that has future starting potential and that is Cam Thomas. He was a three-star recruit who was the No. 1,323 player in the class of 2017. Don’t be surprised if he gets some playing time, or possibly starts, this season. His maturation could make him the starter in 2018.

But, if Thomas doesn’t develop like fans are hoping, the two quarterbacks coming in from the class of 2018 will step into the starting role.

Coran Taylor is one of the talented quarterbacks who committed for next season. He is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound dual-threat quarterback. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 468 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 20 quarterback in the nation.

Taylor has dazzled on the field with his solid throwing ability and his amazing athleticism. He has racked up points for a Peoria High School team that doesn’t have a lick of defense. Peoria had to play without Taylor last night, though, due to injury. According to Chad Dare of the Danville Commercial-News, Taylor has racked up nearly 1,900 yards in six games for the team this season. That is roughly 316 yards per game.

Illinois also secured a commitment from talented Texas product, MJ Rivers. He is a 6-foot-4, 213-pound quarterback from Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 493 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 26 dual-threat quarterback in the nation.

Rivers’ commitment came as a bit of a surprise but Lovie Smith has really built a nice pipeline to the state of Texas since becoming the head coach of the Illini. Getting a player like Rivers was huge for the program. In the game this week, Rivers threw for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns. He has Lone Star ranked as the No. 10 team in 5A in the state of Texas. That is impressive considering the amount of talent in that football state.

Next: Recruiting confidence meter for class of 2018

Illinois has an option at quarterback in Thomas who could possibly be the future man under center. They also have two talented quarterbacks coming into the program from the class of 2018 as well. So, while the quarterback situation seems kind of grim right now, the future is extremely bright.