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Illinois Football: Illini recruiting big-board for the class of 2020

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: Illinois Fighting Illini helmets sit on the sidelines as players warm up for the Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: Illinois Fighting Illini helmets sit on the sidelines as players warm up for the Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – OCTOBER 27: An Illinois Fighting Illini football helmet during a college football game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capitol One Field at Maryland Stadium on October 27, 2018 at College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

1. Jerzhan Newton

The biggest fish for the Illinois football team right now is Jerzhan Newton. He is a player the Illini need in on the defensive line.

Newton is a 6-foot-3, 255-pound strong-side defensive end from Clearwater Central Catholica and resides in Clearwater, Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 821 player in the class of 2020 and the No. 42 strong-side defensive end in the nation. He is also the No. 94 player in the state of Florida.

The decision is coming to a close for Newton. He is currently committed to Maryland, but Illinois is putting the press on the kid. He also took an official visit to Illinois about a week and a half ago. I am sure this had Maryland worried about how strong the commitment is from Newton.

On Wednesday, Netwon will make a final decision. He is committing at 11 AM CT at Clearwater Central Catholic. This is a big one for the Illini. We have missed out on multiple recruits in the last couple of days. Landing a big defensive end like Newton would help this team, recruiting momentum and the future of the program. I think we will end up flipping this kid.

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