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Illinois Football: Langston Anderson would be a nice addition to the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 29: Illinois Fighting Illini fans are seen in the tailgating area before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - SEPTEMBER 29: Illinois Fighting Illini fans are seen in the tailgating area before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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The Illinois football wide receiver core needs more size and that is why they are targeting certain pass catchers in the class of 2019.

One of the pass catchers the Illini coaching staff is targeting is Langston Anderson. He is a 6-foot-2, 188-pound wide receiver from Heritage High School in Midlothian, Texas. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 728 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 96 player in the state of Texas.

Anderson has received a wide range of scholarship offers. He has big programs looking at him like Nebraska, Baylor and Kansas State, but the Illini seem to be attracting him as well. He was able to make it up for the Illini junior day this past weekend and that is when Illinois pulled the trigger and offered him a scholarship.

The first thing that jumps out to me about Anderson is his size. Having a 6-foot-2 playmaker on the outside would be huge for this Illini team. They are finally starting to get the quarterback situation in order, and the wide receivers are going to have a heyday in this offense.

Anderson is an all-around playmaker as well. He can go up and get a ball that is thrown to him or he can go in motion and get the ball on a jet sweep. The speed he possesses would be exciting to have in this Illinois offense.

The offer to Anderson fits the mold of what Lovie Smith and the Illini are looking for. They want players who can make plays. They don’t have to be the most talented in the world at one specific thing, but they need to have speed and they need to be able to make plays in the offense. Illinois has been missing playmakers for a while and I believe Lovie is bringing that back to Champaign.

Illinois could also use more wide receiver help as well. The wide receivers breakdown right now looks like this; seniors (5), juniors (3), sophomores (3) and freshmen (2). There will be a few holes after the 2018 campaign with Mike Dudek, Sam Mays and Shaedon Meadors all leaving the program. Of course, Illinois will still have Ricky Smalling and Carmoni Green, among others, to put the team on their backs, but they need more help.

Next: Top 5 recruiting targets left for Illini in 2019

Getting someone like Anderson would help the program. He is a top 1000 player that I look for, and he would add to the depth at wide receiver. He would be a nice get for Lovie and the coaching staff.

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