The Illinois football team officially handed out a scholarship to a big player who could help the front lines.
It can’t be overstated how much help the Illini offensive line is going to need come 2021. There are so many junior or older players on the front lines right now. That worries me greatly for the future. But Illinois offered Blaise Sparks on Tuesday. This is an offer that could pay dividends down the road.
Sparks is a 6-foot-7, 301-pound offensive tackle from North Fort Myers High School in North Fort Meyers, Florida. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports but he probably should be. There are enough scholarship offers for this kid where I would say he should be ranked somewhere in the top 1200.
Like previously mentioned, Illinois wasn’t the first offer for Sparks. He also has offers from teams like Pittsburgh, Southern Mississippi and Temple, among others. I would imagine that more offers are coming for him within the next few months too.
Blessed to receive an offer from the university of Illinois‼️ @239Sneddon @Rivals @HamiltonESPN @fb_illini @247Sports pic.twitter.com/FDwGlSOl4f
— Blaise Sparks (@b_sparks70) July 2, 2019
There are multiple things I love about Sparks. Let’s first start off with his name. I would love for the Illini to have a player on the team with the name Blaise Sparks. I feel like there could be so many punny headlines incorporating his name.
On a football note, Sparks’ size really jumps out to me. A 6-foot-7, 301-pound frame is always a huge bonus when entering the college ranks. He has the frame to be a great player.
After watching some of what Sparks can do on the field, I don’t get why he isn’t ranked and rated by recruiting sites. How is this kid not racking up the scholarship offers? What am I missing here?
Sparks has the size. He has the quickness too. He can move and pull. He can get up the field to block at the second level. His pass blocking seems to be okay. I just don’t understand how he isn’t on the radar of bigger programs.
I love this offer by Illinois. Sparks made first-team all-state as a junior. He would be a great addition to an Illini offensive line that will need serious help in a few years.