Sunday was a big day for the Illinois football team on the recruiting front.
There was not one, not two, but three recruits commit to Lovie Smith and the Illini for the class of 2018 on Sunday. This was the biggest recruiting day Illinois has had since the early signing period back in December.
Matt Robinson is the quarterback who committed to Illinois. He is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound dual-threat passer from J Serra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California. He rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 2,195 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 54 dual-threat quarterback in the nation.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 🔶🔷 @LovieSmith @IlliniRSmith @IlliniFootball pic.twitter.com/ClyQCpCSR2
— Matt Robinson (@Matt_Robinson5) February 5, 2018
I am glad Illinois is finally getting quarterback depth. Robinson is coming into a wide open quarterback situation. I would highly doubt he competes for the starting job right away, though. I would assume he redshirts year one, but it is nice to see talent all the way down the depth chart. Who knows, maybe he will give a push to the projected starters for 2018.
Kenyon Sims will help the Illini running back situation as well. He committed to the Illini on Sunday. He is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back from Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1,569 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 96 running back in the nation.
Much like the quarterback situation, Illinois’ running back depth is just not there right now. Mike Epstein did a great job last season but his health is a concern. Getting a top 1500 player who is a running back will help tremendously. I don’t know how much he will play year one, but he will help early on in his career with the Illini.
The third player to commit to Illinois this weekend was Ezekiel Holmes. He is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound weak-side defensive end from Hirschi High School in Wichita Falls, Texas. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1,173 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 60 weak-side defensive end in the nation.
Holmes is one of those players that has potential through the roof for the Illini. He has the framework to be a great defensive end, and it is exciting to have a talented coaching staff like the one in Champaign to mold him. He is a perfect player to redshirt year one so the Illini can get him stronger. This could be a sneaky get for Lovie.
Next: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Ohio State
Illinois now has the No. 48 ranked recruiting class for 2018 and the No. 12 class in the Big Ten.