Illinois Football: Lawaun Powell keeps Illini in top 3
The Illinois football team received some great recruiting news from a big target this weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, Lawaun Powell announced on Twitter that he had cut his list down to just three teams and kept Nebraska, Purdue and Illinois all alive for his commitment. This is a tough list but is one that I think Illinois can win. He would be a great pickup for all three programs.
Powell is a 5-foot-11, 192-pound wide receiver from East St. Louis High School in East St. Louis, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 799 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 129 wide receiver in the nation. He is also the No. 14 player in the state of Illinois.
This is a big top three for the Illini to make for multiple reasons. The first reason being the connection we have with the East St. Louis program. Illinois currently has two players from East St. Louis in James Knight and Stanley Green. But we have connections with recruits going back decades. East St. Louis’ defensive backs coach, Terry Hawthorne, also played for Illinois.
On top of the impact Powell’s commitment would have for Illini recruiting, it would also be big for the roster. Illinois has talented wide receivers on the roster right now, but they are mostly upperclassmen. By 2021, Trevon Sidney, Dominic Stampley, Josh Imatorbhebhe, Caleb Reams, Trenard Davis and Ricky Smalling will all have departed the program. That leaves the cupboard pretty bare. Getting someone like Powell would be big to help fill in the roster.
I would love if Powell joined the Orange and Blue to become the replacement for those talented wide receivers. This kid has some serious skill. He has speed that can light up the field. I love his physicality and route running too. He is pretty polished for only entering his senior season in high school. I can’t wait to see the numbers he puts up for the 2019 campaign.
Next. 3 Illini redshirt freshmen who will have the biggest impact. dark
Illinois is in the mix for a really good player in Powell. I would imagine we are probably in the lead for this kid. Hopefully, we can close him out and continue building the class of 2020.