Illinois Football: Top 5 recruiting targets with Illini momentum

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 25: Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith discuss before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on November 25, 2017 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Keith Randolph

There are some underrated recruits who are still available for the taking, and I think Keith Randolph is one of those players. He is a solid recruit who isn’t getting the recruiting attention he has earned.

Randolph is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound strong-side defensive end from Belleville West High School in Belleville, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 915 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 58 strong-side defensive end in the nation. Illinois isn’t the only big-time program going after Randolph, though.

MAC programs have offered Randolph, but more and more Big Ten teams keep handing out scholarships. Both Purdue and Minnesota have recently come in with offers. As time goes on, Randolph will continue building momentum in the recruiting game. This kid has only played football one season, so it is extremely impressive that he is ranked in the top 1000. He will continue landing on big team’s radars.

Overall, though, I think Illinois has a decent chance at landing Randolph. They had momentum before this past weekend, but then he visited Champaign again. Illinois continues to push to get Randolph to come play for Lovie Smith. This would be a great get for future of the program.

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