Illinois Football: Illini recruits who would move the needle
180-pounds. DALLAS CRADDIETH. 4*. . 6-foot-1
Illinois had a few transfers after the 2017 campaign and that is normal for a program. But, Lovie Smith and Hardy Nickerson now have to find replacements for those talented athletes who bolted. One big-time target right now is Dallas Craddieth.
Craddieth is a four-star recruit who is the No. 28 safety in the nation and the No. 7 player in the state of Missouri. He is an extremely talented player out of Hazelwood Central High School in Florissant, Missouri. Illinois needs this type of player on the team for 2018 but they will have to fight off a good number of teams to get him.
As of right now, Craddieth doesn’t have a team that has an edge on other teams. He is just waiting for his visits to get finished before making a decision. But, he did give me some thoughts on what he is looking for with this Iowa, Indiana and Illinois visits that he is taking this month and next.
Iowa: Visit December 8
“Just looking to get around some guys in my class and their commits, and see why they chose Iowa,” said Craddieth, “Iowa’s coaching staff draws a lot of attention and those guys have been there for a really long time.”
Indiana: Visit January 19
“Just to get to the campus – I hear it’s a beautiful place – and to meet Coach Allen in person,” said Craddieth, “My relationship with those guys draws me to them and the opportunity I have there early.”
Illinois: Visit December 15
“Just to get back on campus and see more of the school and meet some more guys committed,” said Craddieth, “And to hang out with the coaching staff cause I have a really good relationship with more than one coach there.”
Craddieth also tweeted out that he had a good talk with former Illini commit Antwain Walker. This will always make an Illinois fan nervous because things seemed to have not ended well between the Illini and Walker. So, I asked Craddieth about that situation and what his thoughts were.
“It’s unfortunate, especially since he’s been committed for so long and the early signing day is a few weeks away,” said Craddieth, “So it doesn’t give him much time to build a good report with new schools really, and it hasn’t changed much of my views on them (Illinois), just know I have to be a little cautious now.”
Craddieth is an important piece for the Illini. Creating that depth in the secondary is going to be huge. Illinois has some nice pieces right now but Craddieth would help complete the puzzle.