Illinois Football: Top 10 highest rated Illini recruits since 2010

2. Aaron Bailey – No. 173 – Class of 2013

The Nathan Scheelhaase era of Illinois football was exciting. He was a solid quarterback who kept the Illini alive in games. But, after he graduated, the Illini needed another quarterback to come in and be a solid player. I thought we were getting that with Aaron Bailey.

Bailey was a 6-foot-2, 225-pound quarterback from Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Illinois. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 173 player in the class of 2013 and the No. 6 player in the state of Illinois. Snagging Bailey was surely going to be the bridge between the two quarterbacks but that never happened.

Illinois only had Bailey for two years before he ended up transferring out of the program. He didn’t play much in the two seasons he was in the Orange and Blue. During his freshman campaign, he was 2-for-5 for four yards and one touchdown. He also had 83 yards and three touchdowns on the ground that season as well.

The following year, Bailey was 11-for-22 for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also had 120 yards and one touchdown on the ground during his sophomore year. Following the 2014 season, he decided to transfer out of the Illinois football program and committed to play for Northern Iowa.

In his time with the Panthers, Bailey was actually an effective quarterback. He was okay through the air but his legs are what helped him the most.

While Bailey never panned out with the Illini, he did go on to have a solid career with Northern Iowa. His rating was probably a little too high, though. He was the second highest rated recruit in the last ten classes for the Illini.