Illinois Football: Family environment big for Illini target Kevo Wesley

The Illinois football offensive line is trying to take shape, but there are obvious worries when it comes to what we will have on the field in the next few seasons.

Richie Petitbon came into the program this season and should be a plug-and-play offensive tackle. He is going to get his chance to shine with the Illini. He will be departing after this season, though. That leaves a hole at the offensive tackle position.

In addition to Petitbon being done after this season, Illinois also has a handful of offensive linemen who are entering their junior year with the team. Alex Palczewski, Doug Kramer, Jake Cerny, Kurt Gavin and Vederian Lowe will all, most likely, be departing after the 2020 campaign and they will all see starts or be a starter with this program this season.

With the impending departure of all of these talented players over the next few seasons, Illinois has to reload on the offensive line. They have to bulk up in an area that is, arguably, the most important on the football field.

Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff were able to land only one offensive lineman from the class of 2019. Evan Kirts will help provide some depth for the Orange and Blue. Verdis Brown is also moving back to the offensive line from his defensive tackle position. These two players do help the depth situation, but there are still four-to-five offensive linemen that need to be added to the class of 2020.

Illinois has gotten off to a great start for the class of 2020, though. They have added three players who are all in the top 1000 and one of those players is offensive guard, Marcus Harper. He is an offensive lineman who could come into the program and see immediate playing time. Another focus for the Illini on the offensive line is Kevo Wesley.

Wesley is a 6-foot-5, 260-pound offensive tackle from Curie Metropolitan High School in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 637 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 54 offensive tackle in the nation. He is also the No. 9 player in the state of Illinois.

This past weekend was big for Illinois recruiting. The Illini invited up a lot of players to come watch practice, talk to the current players and get to know the coaching staff a little better. Wesley was a part of the festivities and seemed to have loved every second of it when asked how the trip went.

“Great, I had fun being around the coaches and players,” said Wesley, “I really enjoyed the environment!”

Illinois isn’t just building a great program in Champaign. They have also made tremendous progress in building a brand. Recruits are seeing what is going on with the team and want to be a part of “Littyville” and everything that comes with it. The program is starting to get a good reputation and some of what they are developing in “Littyville” are some of the things that stood out the most to Wesley.

“Just the culture and family environment they are trying to create!” said Wesley, “All the coaches are in tune with the players, and they have fun and get lit there.”

I believe it is fair to say Illinois made a good impression on Wesley. This program has a lot going for them right now which includes a new performance facility that is projected to be finished this fall. The Illini aren’t the only program vying for Wesley’s commitment, though. The Writing Illini checked in on what his plans were for his recruitment and if he had any idea about when a top list was coming.

“Not at the moment,” said Wesley, “the only list I will be bringing out is a top five, which will be my five official visits, and that will probably be in June or July.”

Illinois is fighting to sign more offensive linemen for the future. The class of 2020 has already started nicely with the addition of Harper. Illinois now seems to be on the right track with another top offensive lineman in Wesley. Only time will tell if this big man will stay in-state, though.