Illinois Football: Class of 2020 could be loaded for the Illini

While there are a few more spots left for the Illinois football class of 2019, the class of 2020 is right around the corner as well.

There are a lot of recruits who the Illini are keeping an eye on right now. The states of Texas and Missouri have been good to the Orange and Blue the last few seasons. But, one state the coaching staff has kind of struggled in is Illinois. The in-state products, most of the time, have been heading elsewhere.

The top five in-state recruits from the class of 2017 headed out of state. The top 12 players from the class of 2018 decided to head to a program other than Illinois, although the Illini managed to get the top player, Luke Ford, back via transfer. And then the top nine players in the class of 2019 are not coming to Champaign.

Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff’s inability to land top in-state recruits has been one of the black eyes on their stint with the Illini. The program is turning around, don’t get me wrong, but landing state of Illinois recruits has been extremely difficult for the Illini. That could all change with the class of 2020, though.

Over the weekend, three recruits visited Champaign to get a taste of what is happening in Littyville. Wide Receiver AJ Henning, the top recruit in the state of Illinois for 2020 and the No. 50 player nationally, was among the visitors. Notre Dame is projected to land him, but he tweeted during the visit, “This is our state, why not be the difference makers?” He also cut his list down to 10 teams a week ago and kept the Illini alive.

Wide receiver Jadon Thompson joined Henning down in Champaign over the weekend. He is the No. 4 player in the state of Illinois for 2020 and is in the top 300 nationally. He also tweeted during the visit, “They gonna feel this one.” Thompson also cut his list down to six teams, which included Illinois, in late December. Getting two wide receivers of their caliber would be huge for the Illinois football team.

Let’s not forget about the third member of the trio. Running back Marcellus Moore was also with the two wide receivers getting the feel for Littyville. He is the No. 7 player in the state of Illinois and a top 600 player in the class of 2020. He tweeted out, “No place like home?”

These three great players have a chance to turn the tides for the Illinois coaching staff when it comes to in-state recruiting. All three of these players would help boost the Illini roster, and they would give the program three of the top seven in-state players for 2020. Let’s also not forget about Denver Warren as well. He visited Champaign back in November after de-committing from Michigan. He is the No. 5 player in the state of Illinois.

The state of Illinois is loaded with talent for 2020. The Illini should be on their way up this season, so the class of 2020 should be easier to recruit. This class could be the one that changes in-state recruiting for the Orange and Blue for the foreseeable future. Special times are ahead.