Illinois Basketball: Illini land in Jaylin Williams’ top 7

The top lists continue to be dispersed and the Illinois basketball team finds themselves in the running for another solid recruit.

On Wednesday night, Jaylin Williams posted a video on his Twitter account announcing his top seven teams. The list includes Oklahoma State, Auburn, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Iowa State, UConn and Illinois. Each one of these programs needs a player like Williams.

Williams is a 6-foot-9, 230-pound center from Northside High School in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 67 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 11 center in the nation. He is also the best player in the state of Arkansas.

It looks like only one official visit has been taken by Williams and that was to Oklahoma State back on June 8. There are four more visits left, but will Illinois be able to sneak in and get one?

I would assume Arkansas and Auburn will both get one of his visits purely based on location and the fact they are in the top seven. That would leave two visits left for Texas A&M, Iowa State, UConn and Illinois.

It wouldn’t shock me if Illinois ends up getting an official visit. They need another big man for the future. Kofi Cockburn will, likely, leave after the 2020-2021 campaign leaving a big hole at the No. 5 spot. There is actually a chance he leaves after this season, which makes the need for another No. 5 even more important.

The need is there for the Illini, and I assume that is one of the main reasons we are still alive for Williams. We have also been able to develop most of the big men that have come through the program. Leron Black increased his scoring and overall game greatly in his lone year under Brad Underwood. Giorgi Bezhanishvili came in as a sub-300 recruit and was one of the best freshmen in the nation last season.

I think this is a recruitment to keep an eye on. I believe Illinois has a legit shot at landing Williams. He would fit in well with the program.