Illinois Football: Illini get visit from 2019 DE Moses Okpala

The Illinois football team had a visitor on Tuesday that went a little bit under the radar.

Moses Okpala decided to take an unofficial visit up to Champaign to experience what LittyvILLe was all about. He is a 6-foot-7, 250-pound defensive end from Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 498 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 35 strong-side defensive end in the nation.

Let me start off by saying, how in the hell is this kid not ranked higher than No. 498 in the nation? He is monster in every way imaginable. One thing that obviously stands out to me is his strength. This kid is like a Jadeveon Clowney when it comes to the position. He just runs his opponent over and gets to the ball carrier.

I really like Okpala’s straight-line speed as well. His ability to rush the quarterback or get the running back in the backfield is absolutely amazing. He would be so amazing to have on the Illini roster for 2019 and beyond.

The only reasons I think Okpala is not ranked higher is that he doesn’t seem extremely mobile from sideline to sideline, and he hasn’t been playing football for very long.

If the play goes a different direction than what Okpala is thinking then it takes him a little while to get readjusted. But, get him into the Illinois program with an NFL experienced coaching staff and everything will be okay in this department. That is an easy fix to his game.

Okpala is also from Nigeria and came over to the United States in eighth grade. He still has a lot of learning to do, but what we see right now is only the raw version of his game. Just think about how good he will be when he is more polished.

There isn’t a clear leader for Okpala’s commitment right now. He has some impressive offers besides the Illini. He has offers from teams like Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Wisconsin, among others.

I am going to be honest; I want this kid in the Orange and Blue. He has NFL star written all over him. He will be sensational at the college level. He will be talked about by national media when he is in Champaign. This kid has a chance to be special, and I want to cheer for him on Saturdays.

Illinois is a little thin on the defensive line as well. They have some nice pieces who showed a lot of potential last season, but most of the defensive ends will be juniors when Okpala would get into the program. Have him redshirt year one and then he would get playing time year two. He would then be a starter his redshirt sophomore season and have a chance to do some special things.

Next: Ranking the last 10 Illini recruiting classes

Okpala is also a top 1000 player, which I look for in a recruiting class. This is where you tend to get your top tier players. Illinois has a chance to have a really special class in 2019. They need to continue building on this class and snagging Okpala would help accomplish this goal.