The Illinois football team continued to build on a great class of 2018 with the addition of big man, Verdis Brown.
Brown decided to make his college selection on the final day of the early signing period. He made the choice of Illinois over teams like Florida State, Missouri and Minnesota. This was a big commitment for an Illini team that is building for the future.
Throughout Brown’s recruitment, he was projected as one of the best players in the nation. 247Sports has him as a four-star recruit who is the No. 324 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 6 offensive center in the nation. Rivals has him as a four-star recruit who is the No. 199 player in the class of2018 and the No. 2 offensive center in the nation. Either way, Illinois landed a great player and will benefit from it in 2018.
Omg I can’t believe it!!! #Illini welcome @verdisbrown !!!! pic.twitter.com/kdD1jDUQeo
— Writing Illini (@WritingIlliniFS) December 22, 2017
It wasn’t easy landing Brown, though. Illinois was in a heated race for him back in mid-to-early 2017 with Florida State. The Seminoles actually ended up landing him on July 14. Many thought his recruitment was done, but Brown still left the door open.
On October 6, Brown took an official visit to Florida State. He then decided to take an official visit to Illinois on October 26. The possibility of him flipping was always there, but Florida State accelerated the process. Their head coach – Jimbo Fisher – decided to leave the program and go coach Texas A&M. This enabled Brown to decommit from Florida State.
Since Brown reopened his recruitment a few more teams joined the party. He took two more official visits, one to Minnesota on December 8 and one to Missouri on December 16. But, thankfully, he stuck to his roots and stayed close to home.
I am excited about the potential Brown brings to the Illinois offense. I have no doubt he will start day one with fellow 2018 commit, Reuben Unije. These two will help anchor the line with others like Nick Allegretti and Larry Boyd. I can’t wait to see what the Illini playmakers can do behind this talented offensive line.
Next: The talent level is rising in Champaign
This commitment also helps Illinois in the national ranking as well. I want to see the Illini get to 10 top 1000 recruits for the class of 2018 and they now sit at seven. There are three more possible commitments coming in February, though. This class could end up being really special for the Illini.