Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Football: Top 10 highest rated Illini recruits since 2010

By Rees Woodcock

26 December 2014: Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Jon Davis (3) catches the football over Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defensive back Adairius Barnes (21) during the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
26 December 2014: Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Jon Davis (3) catches the football over Louisiana Tech Bulldogs defensive back Adairius Barnes (21) during the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 11
Next
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 18: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini watches a replay on the scoreboard during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 18, 2017 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Illinois 52-14. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 18: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini watches a replay on the scoreboard during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 18, 2017 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Illinois 52-14. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

4. Gabe Megginson – No. 185 – Class of 2015

The second highest rated recruit the Tim Beckman era ended up snagging was Gabe Megginson. He was a talented in-state recruit who helped bolster the class of 2015 into a respectable bunch of players.

Megginson was a 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive tackle from Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Illinois. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 185 player in the class of 2015 and the No. 2 player in the state of Illinois.

There was no question snagging Megginson was a great get for Beckman at the time. This kid looked like a sure-fire great recruit. He had a lot of scholarship offers including from teams like Wisconsin. Getting a player inside the top 200 was huge for the Illini at the time.

But, Megginson came in and turmoil struck year one. He had three different coaches from August 2015 through March 2016. This probably didn’t help his development. He ended up redshirting year one with the Illini and then played in 10 games with seven starts during his redshirt freshman season.

Megginson ended up starting in four games during his redshirt sophomore season last year but couldn’t keep his starting spot. The freshman movement was underway, and it seemed like Megginson wasn’t going to be a part of it. So, he decided to transfer out of the program.

Megginson ended up transferring to Illinois State. For me, his time with the Illini didn’t live up to his ranking but I hope he can get on track with Illinois State. That might be the perfect school for him.

Home/Illinois Football