Another top 1000 player in the class of 2019 was offered by the Illinois football team on Wednesday night.
Ahmad Craig was the recipient of this offer. He is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound strong-side defensive end from Buford High School in Buford, Georgia. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 699 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 45 strong-side defensive end in the nation.
Blessed to receive an offer from Illinois🔶🔷 @BufordProspects @wardth09 @_Illini_ pic.twitter.com/N9WTdD3Zns
— 😈🔥Certified_Steppa🔥😈 (@Ahmad84craig) May 2, 2018
There isn’t a top list yet for Craig, but he does have a wide range of top DI scholarship offers. He has offers from teams like Louisville, Auburn and Maryland, among others. Illinois might be a little late to this party, but the fact he hasn’t cut his list down or taken an official visit is good.
Craig brings many things to the table when it comes to the defensive end position. His size is a big plus. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 240-pounds is great. He will be extremely hard to stop purely based on his size. But, he is more than just a physical specimen.
I really like Craig’s speed and ability to run sideline to sideline. It is hard for bigger defensive linemen to move that way. Most of the time, coming out of high school, you will get great straight-line speed. But, Craig brings that plus great ability to move with the play. This is something that might be overlooked based on his ranking.
Illinois is going to need more depth at defensive end as well. This is a big reason why they will hopefully get in on Craig’s recruitment. Isaiah Gay, Jamal Woods, Bobby Roundtree and Owen Carney will all be juniors when 2019 rolls around. The only defensive ends on the roster who will be younger are Lere Oladipo and Deon Pate who will both be redshirt sophomores. Illinois also has Ezekiel Holmes coming in from the class of 2018 to play defensive and as well.
The game plan for Craig would likely be a redshirt year one based on what the Illini have at defensive end right now. He would come in and see some time as a redshirt freshman and then start as a redshirt sophomore. This would give him at least two years of big playing time.
Next: Ranking the last 10 Illini recruiting classes
I like the offer by the Illini. Craig is a playmaker and that is what we need on this team. Hopefully, they can get in the mix for this talented defensive end.