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Illinois Football: With Merlin Robertson not visiting, who is left for the Illini?

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 05: Fans wave the 'Hail to the Orange' flag over Dad's day as the Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Michigan State Spartans during the Big Ten Conference game on November 5, 2016, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 05: Fans wave the 'Hail to the Orange' flag over Dad's day as the Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Michigan State Spartans during the Big Ten Conference game on November 5, 2016, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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There are a few players the Illinois football team needs to sign to make the class of 2018 complete.

One of those players was linebacker Merlin Robertson. He is a four-star recruit who is the No. 165 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 24 player in the state of California. Originally, Robertson was supposed to visit this weekend on an official visit but it looks like he will be canceling that and heading to Arizona State on an official visit.

Most likely, this eliminates the Illini from the Robertson sweepstakes. This one hurts because I genuinely thought Illinois had a chance to snag this talented top 300 linebacker. But, the hiring of former NFL head coach Herm Edwards must have really helped in the decision to visit the Sun Devils instead.

Now Illinois has to look elsewhere for more talented recruits. There are still a few out there that are up for grabs. Here are the top targets now.

WR Manuel Allen – Confidence 70%

Allen is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound wide receiver from Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California. He is 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.

Louisville still has a commitment from Allen, but that commitment isn’t solid. He announced via Twitter that he will be committing at the Polynesian Bowl on January 20 and will be deciding between Illinois and Louisville. This is a big one for the Illini.

S Dayven Coleman – Confidence 80%

Coleman is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety from West Mesquite High School in Mesquite, Texas. He is a three-star recruit who is the No. 753 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 100 player in the state of Texas.

Illinois lost some depth at safety with the transfer of Pat Nelson. This leaves room for Coleman to step in early on in his career and make an impact.

WR Cadarius Gaskin – Confidence 43%

Gaskin is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver from Atlantic High School in Delray Beach, Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 789 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 116 player in the state of Florida.

More wide receivers will give the Illini quarterbacks more options. Getting Gaskin would be nice. Back in August 2017, he had Illinois as one of his top six programs he would be choosing from.

ATH Jordan Branch – Confidence 15%

Branch is a 6-foot-1, 255-pound athlete from Crockett County High School in Alamo, Tennessee. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1263 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 35 player in the state of Tennessee.

There really hasn’t been much of an update on Branch. He was offered by the Illini back in February 2017 and former offensive coordinator Garrick McGee visited him in November 2017. But, McGee has since been fire, so I am not confident where we stand with him.

QB DJ Irons – Confidence 15%

Irons is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound quarterback from Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. He isn’t rated by the recruiting sites and he doesn’t have a stat ranking either.

Illinois recently offered Irons a scholarship back on December 21, 2017. Paul Williams was apparently the one recruiting him and he has since been fired as well. That leaves Irons’ recruitment in question.

WR Malik Knowles – Confidence 37%

Knowles is a 6-foot-2, 165-pound wide receiver from Lake Ridge High School in Mansfield, Texas. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1076 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 128 player in the state of Texas.

The recruitment of Knowles has been very quiet. Illinois offered him a scholarship back in July 2017 and he visited that month on an unofficial visit. Since then, there hasn’t been an update. Illinois is listed as his favorite on 247Sports.

ATH Tayvonn Kyle – Confidence 75%

Kyle is a 6-foot, 160-pound athlete from Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1672 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 160 player in the state of Georgia.

I feel pretty confident the Illini can land Kyle come signing day on February 7. He was originally committed to Purdue but then decommitted a few weeks after Illinois offered him a scholarship. He will be taking an official visit to Champaign on January 19.

Next: Top Illini recruiting targets for the class of 2019

CB Justin Birdsong – Confidence 25%

Birdsong is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1239 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 120 player in the state of Georgia.

Again, Birdsong is a recruit whose recruitment is pretty quiet right now. He decommitted from Appalachian State back in August but since then, his visits have been few. Illinois still might be a player here, though.

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