Illinois Football: Illini extend offer to 2022 WR Luther Burden

PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 06: Head Coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini coaches from the sidelines in-between first and second quarters against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at HighPoint.com Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - OCTOBER 06: Head Coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini coaches from the sidelines in-between first and second quarters against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at HighPoint.com Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)

The Illinois football team extended another offer to a big-time future recruit for the program.

When a team offers a scholarship to a player who just finished up his freshman year in high school, you know that player is going to be pretty talented at the next level. That is the case with Luther Burden.

Burden is a 6-foot, 180-pound wide receiver from Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis, Missouri. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports yet because he is from the class of 2022. But, this kid is going to be highly rated when the new rankings come out. He already has some serious programs looking at him.

Illinois offered Burden a scholarship back on Wednesday. This was a great offer considering what the kid brings to the table. They aren’t the only one taking notice of his talents, though. Missouri, Nebraska and Southern Mississippi all have offered him a scholarship as well. Those are four big teams looking at this kid. I imagine he will continue getting offers over the next few years too.

There are a few things to look at when talking about Burden. The first thing that stands out to me is his size. The kid already stands at 6-foot tall as a freshman. Most men grow a few inches in high school, so I would venture to say he ends up around 6-foot-2 by the time he is ready to enter college. That would make him such a dynamic target.

Burden’s speed jumps out to me as well. This kid can fly around the field. He can lull the defender asleep and then just turn on the burners when he needs to. He is an impressive player who will do damage the rest of his time in high school.

Don’t be surprised if Burden skyrockets up the recruiting rankings in a few years. This kid is going to be really talented and teams will take notice. Hopefully, with the Illini getting in early, we will have a shot at getting on his top list and maybe landing him.