There is still some work left to do for the Illinois football team to complete the class of 2018.
Illinois has signed a solid class so far but their work is far from over. They have 19 players signed right now with seven of those players being in the top 1000. My goal was to get 10 players in the top 1000 for this class. That can still happen, though.
There are still some good players remaining that have their eye on the Illini. Merlin Robertson would be a nice addition. He is in the top 200. Dayven Coleman likes Illinois and he is in the top 800. Cadarius Gaskin is still out there and he is top 800 as well.
A new name has now emerged for the Illini. Manuel “Manny” Allen looks to be deciding between two teams – Louisville and Illinois – and he will be announcing his decision at the Polynesian Bowl, according to the article by Adam Gorney of Rivals.
#Illinois emerges as serious contender for four-star WR and #Louisville commit Manny Allen https://t.co/YQjcjXl7r4 pic.twitter.com/IRvjI2pc29
— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) January 9, 2018
Allen is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver from Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 276 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 37 player in the state of California.
The recruitment of Allen has been a roller coaster so far. He originally committed to USC back in January 2017 but then decommitted February of that year. His recruitment continued on and he ended up landing with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on April 15.
That commitment lasted about four months and Allen decommitted from Nebraska and flipped to Louisville. Allen is still committed to Louisville but, according to the article, Illinois has made a strong push for him and now he is undecided.
Illinois is in the top two for this talented top 300 wide receiver. He has tremendous speed and will be a real weapon for MJ Rivers or Cam Thomas. He would also get the Illini closer to 10 top 1000 players that I am looking for.
Next: Marquez Beason isn’t just your everyday recruit
If Illinois can land three of the four players that I have named, they will have a class that can build this program into winners. The quality of depth would be improving and the talent of the starters would increase greatly. That is how you win ball games. Lovie is doing something special in Champaign.