Illinois Football: Ranking the last 10 Illini recruiting classes

9. Class of 2012

The No. 9 spot on the list of recruiting classes over the last 10 years belongs to the class of 2012. This was a class that had some solid players but was not the quality of class many had hopped in the first year under Tim Beckman’s tenure.

The class of 2012 consisted of zero four-star recruits and 14 three-star recruits. This was the No. 65 class in the nation in 2012. Despite the low ranking, I liked a few of the player who came in and made an impact.

Taylor Barton was one of the three-stars, and he ended up sticking with the Cincinnati Bengals. V’Angelo Bentley was a really good player for the Illini as well. He could play on the defensive side of the ball and on special teams. Mason Monheim was a really good linebacker for the program. He was one of the best at his position in recent memory.

There were also a few others I liked in this class as well. Ryan Frain was a good kicker. TJ Neal had a good career for the Illini before transferring out to Auburn. But, overall, there wasn’t a ton of talent in this class. They check in at No. 9 because of the lack of depth.