Illinois Football: Ranking the last 10 Illini recruiting classes

8. Class of 2014

The class of 2014 checks in at No. 8 on the list of the top recruiting classes in the last 10 years. This class consisted of zero four-star recruits and only 12 three-star players. The rest of the bunch were two-star recruits or lower.

Illinois finished 2014 with the No. 74 class in the nation. This is the worst class ranking over the last 10 years, but the group that came in for 2014 wasn’t nearly the worst class for the Illini. They actually had some talent in this class despite what the rankings said.

There were multiple highlight players from the class of 2014. Mike Dudek was a part of this group. He came in and had a great freshman campaign. Injuries have plagued his time in Champaign, but this kid was going to be special.

Jihad Ward was a part of this class, and he was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Carroll Phillips was also in there and he had a great career with the Illini. Nick Allegretti is finishing up his career this season with the Illini, and I think he will be drafted in 2019. Geronimo Allison also came from this class, and he is a big player for the Green Bay Packers right now.

Despite Illinois’ 2014 recruiting ranking being the lowest of the decade, they produced some talented players in this class. The junior college market was strong that year for the Illini, and they proved to be important pieces for the Orange and Blue.