Illinois Football: 5 big targets for the Illini class of 2019

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 17: An Illinois football Helmut as seen during a Big Ten Conference football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini on November 17, 2018, at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Shammond Cooper

The biggest recruit right now for the Illini is Shammond Cooper. This kid would make such a huge impact on the Illinois defense heading into the 2019 season.

Cooper is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound inside linebacker from Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 293 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 17 inside linebacker in the nation. He is also the No. 5 player in the state of Missouri as well.

There are only four teams vying for Cooper’s commitment. He cut his list down on October 4 and kept Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and Illinois alive for his January 3 commitment date at the Under Armour All-American Game.

Illinois is at 100-percent to land Cooper right now, according to 247Sports. Jeremy Werner of 247Sports is also reporting that Cooper is taking his official visit to Illinois this weekend alongside Illini quarterback commit and Trinity Catholic teammate, Isaiah Williams. This is a huge weekend for the Illinois football program.

Honestly, I think it is down to Illinois and Oklahoma when it comes to Cooper’s commitment. Illinois looks to have a solid lead right now, but I wouldn’t count out the Sooners. They are playing in the Final Four here in the next month and that scares me.

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