Illinois Football: Illini extend offer to 2022 TE Trent McGaughey

The Illinois football team has dipped their toe into the 2022 market with their latest scholarship offer.

On Monday night, Trent McGaughey announced on Twitter that he had received an offer from the University of Illinois. This is a big offer by the Illini considering the talent this kid brings to the table.

McGaughey is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound tight end from Shadow Creek High School in Pearland, Texas. He isn’t rated or ranked by the recruiting sites yet because the class of 2022 is a little ways away, but he does have a myriad of scholarship offers already under his belt.

In addition to the offer from the Illini, McGaughey also has offers from teams like LSU, Auburn and Houston. I imagine that list will grow rapidly over the next few years as well. But Illinois getting in early on this kid is a great idea.

The fact McGaughey already has some of the bigger programs in the nation looking at him means that he is going to be rated highly in the class of 2022. I would imagine this kid is a top 300 recruit right now.

There is obviously limited information on McGaughey since he is only entering his sophomore season in high school. The one thing that stands out to me about this kid is his size. He is already 6-foot-3, 215-pounds. He is a beast and will only get bigger, faster and stronger throughout the next three years.

If McGaughey decided to pick Illinois, it would be perfect timing for the kid. Luke Ford is going to be the starter at tight end for 2020, 2021 and 2022. That means McGaughey would be able to take over as a redshirt freshman in 2023 and be a starter four years for this program.

Illinois also has strong recruiting ties to the state of Texas. Wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker has done a great job in the Lone Star State. Getting someone like McGaughey to come to Champaign would be another great accomplishment.