Illinois Football: 2019 OT Ira Henry keeps Illini in top 10

Another top recruit also kept the Illinois football team on his top list on Friday night.

The Illini were kept on Ira Henry’s top 10 list which included the likes of Alabama, Missouri, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee and Oklahoma, in addition to the Orange and Blue. This will be a tough list for the Illini to beat, but I think they have some good groundwork on the recruiting front.

Henry would be a huge get for the Illinois football team because they need better protection for the quarterback. He is a 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive tackle from Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 857 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 77 offensive tackle in the nation.

There are quite a few reasons why I think Illinois could land Henry. The first reason is that they need offensive line help. Illinois had an extremely young offensive line last season that struggled at times. There is always room to crack into the starting depth chart at offensive tackle. The more competition the better.

Another reason I think Illinois can contend for Henry’s commitment is that they have a great connection with Trinity Catholic High School. Their former head coach, Cory Patterson, is the tight ends coach for the Illini. Illinois also has Henry’s quarterback, Isaiah Williams, coming in from the class of 2019 as well. That connection is huge for the progress in getting Henry to come to Champaign.

If Illinois can pull off this commitment, it would be big. They would be beating out some great teams. Alabama is always scary when it comes to recruiting. But, I think Oklahoma is the biggest threat to the Illini snagging Henry. They seem to be laying some nice groundwork in the state of Missouri. I think they might have a slight lead in his recruitment right now.

Of course, like in the McCray list, Iowa State and Minnesota also worry me. Both of these teams are fighting the Illini for what seems like every recruit.

Next: Illini make WR Fabian McCray’s top 7

Illinois has been recruiting Henry for a while now. Hopefully, their connection with him and his surrounds will help in bringing him to Champaign. He would help this team get to the next level.