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Illinois football commit Solomon Buchanan, “staff treated me like family”

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on top of a dryer on the sidelines during 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: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet sits on top of a dryer on the sidelines during 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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The Illinois football team added to their family in a strong way on Monday night.

Solomon Buchanan posted on Twitter a message that announced his commitment to the University of Illinois. This was an unexpected commitment and one that will help build out the class of 2021.

Buchanan is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety from Garden City Community College and resides in Mesa, Arizona. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 13 junior college player in the class of 2021 and the No. 1 safety in the nation. He is also the No. 5 JUCO player coming out of Arizona.

Illinois pulling in a talented recruit like Buchanan is huge for the program. Some of the programs that were pursuing this kid included the likes of Tennessee, Texas and Texas Tech, but the Illini managed to come out ahead.


Since Buchanan announced his commitment, the Writing Illini has had a chance to pick the brain of the talented defensive star. Why was Illinois the landing spot to continue his career?

“The coaching staff treated me like family since high school!”

Buchanan originally came out of Skyline High School in Mesa, Arizona. He wasn’t recruited coming out of the class of 2019, though. So, Buchanan went the JUCO route to get more notoriety before entering the college ranks.

247Sports has Buchanan listed as a safety and the best JUCO safety in the country. But is he coming into the DI ranks as a safety?

“I am going in as a linebacker.”

So, it looks like Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff wanted a versatile player, and that is what they are getting with Buchanan. The kid is able to move from safety to linebacker without a problem. He does have a big goal in mind as well.

“My goal is to come in and help win a championship.”

That is a lofty goal and one that I would love to see happen. The coaching staff is building out the roster nicely and continues to snag talented players like Buchanan.

Buchanan also lays out his plan for the coming year. He is going to play for Garden City CC this upcoming season and then enroll at Illinois after the first semester. He would then join the program and be ready to go for spring ball in 2021.

Next. Illinois football commit Blake Jeresaty’s goal “help my team win, period”. dark

Illinois snagged one of the best JUCO players in the country on Monday night. Look for the Orange and Blue to continue to pile up the commitments over the coming months. This is only the start of some great things to come.

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