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Illinois Football: RB Kyren Williams keeps Illini in his top 8

By Rees Woodcock

The Gateway Arch, center, stands ahead of the second U.S. presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. As has become tradition, the second debate will resemble a town hall meeting, with the candidates free to sit or roam the stage instead of standing behind podiums, while members of the audience -- uncommitted voters, screened by the Gallup Organization -- will ask half the questions. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Gateway Arch, center, stands ahead of the second U.S. presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. As has become tradition, the second debate will resemble a town hall meeting, with the candidates free to sit or roam the stage instead of standing behind podiums, while members of the audience -- uncommitted voters, screened by the Gallup Organization -- will ask half the questions. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images /
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The Illinois football team has been after a few key recruits for a while now.

One of these recruits is Kyren Williams. He decided to cut his list down to just eight teams over the weekend and included Missouri, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Stanford, Michigan State and Illinois. This list includes some big-time programs that will be tough to beat.

Williams is a 5-foot-10, 200-pound running back from St. John Vianney High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 343 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 22 running back in the nation.

There have been a few handfuls of teams after Williams for quite some time. According to 247Sports, Notre Dame looks to be in the lead for his commitment right now. He was offered by the Fighting Irish back in January of this year and then attended their junior day as well. But, I believe his recruitment is still wide open.

The Illini offered Williams back in January as well. They have been developing a relationship with this talented all-purpose running back for quite some time. He visited Champaign back in 2016 and also went to Illinois’ junior day in February of this year.

Wow, do I love Williams’ game. This kid is a special talent that only comes around every once in a while. He doesn’t have overwhelming speed, but his agility and ability to move around defenders is something to marvel at. He can slip out of tackles with ease and find even the smallest hole to squeeze through. He is very smart with his movements and can see holes before they even open up.

Williams’ game reminds me a lot of Ray Rice in his prime. He has a lot of strength and uses his knowledge and vision to gain yards. This kid is an impressive player on the field.

Next: Roles of the five returning Illini players

Hopefully, Illinois can land Williams. They need someone like this to go along with Mike Epstein. This duo would be one of the most dangerous in the Big Ten.

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