When you look at the class of 2019 ranking for the Illinois football team, some people might be slightly underwhelmed.
There are only 11 players signed right now with two more that have committed and will sign on National Signing Day this Wednesday. The class currently ranks No. 58 in the nation and No. 12 in the Big Ten. On paper, this class doesn’t look special, but you have to look a little deeper to find out how great this class can really be.
In addition to the 13 players we currently have for the class of 2019, let’s also not forget about the incoming transfers as well. Illinois pulled in tight end Luke Ford who was a four-star recruit and the No. 51 player in the class of 2018. He will have three years of eligibility left and may be able to play immediately as well.
AD Miller is coming into the Illinois program via the transfer route. He is a graduate transfer wide receiver who was a three-star coming out of high school and was the No. 824 player in the nation. Illinois will have Miller suite up at wide receiver this upcoming season.
Illinois bolstered their offensive line with the addition of graduate transfer Richie Petitbon as well. He was a four-star who was ranked as the No. 62 player in the nation coming out of the class of 2015. There were some departures on the offensive line for the Illini, so adding Petitbon will help fill that void in 2019.
Adding these three transfers gives Illinois a total of 16 new faces they are bringing into the program. Out of those players, five will be or were four-star recruits. A total of 10 of those players will have been or are currently ranked in the top 1000 in their respective class as well. That is a lot of quality upgrades to this football program.
Illinois will be adding a few more players either on National Signing Day or in the next few months as well. There are a few players I am keeping an eye on for the Illini to snag. The Illini still have a good relationship with wide receiver, La’Vontae Shenault. He is a three-star recruit who is the No. 400 player in the class of 2019. The expected destination for Shenault is Colorado so he can play with his brother, but he put his decision off until Tuesday, February 5. His decision will be big for a program.
RaJae Johnson is another big target for the Illini to add in 2019. He is a three-star junior college wide receiver. He is rated as the best JUCO wide receiver in the nation, so snagging him would be huge. His decision will come within the next few months, most likely.
There are surely a few other options that I am missing as well. Illinois is bringing in a lot of talent. The regular National Signing Day will not be intense like years past. The Illini have a great haul of players coming in and the upcoming season will be special. Don’t let the low recruiting ranking distract you from the talent this program is bringing in for 2019.