Illinois Football: Illini land on list for top target Kendrick Blackshire

Some people might be sleeping on the Illinois football program, but we are one step closer to landing one of the best players in the class of 2021.

Developing a reputation for having a great defense is something the Illinois coaching staff is clearly shooting for. They want to build a legendary group that dominates on the defensive side of the ball. Snagging a player like Kendrick Blackshire would help expedite that process.

Blackshire is a 6-foot-2, 250-pound inside linebacker from Duncanville High School and resides in Duncanville, Texas. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 148 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 6 inside linebacker in the nation. He is also the No. 26 player in the state of Texas.

The number of teams coming for Blackshire is incredible. The kid has roughly 29 scholarship offers. But he wanted to narrow down which teams he is seriously looking at. So, on Wednesday, Blackshire cut his list to just six teams. The six programs vying for his commitment include Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama and Illinois.

Being in the mix for Blackshire’s commitment is exciting. Those other five programs are impressive, so this will be a tough recruitment to win. But I think the Illini have a legit shot at landing this top 150 recruit for the class of 2021.

Illinois has a head coach in Lovie Smith who knows what it takes to be an NFL caliber defensive player. He coached NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Lance Briggs. Lovie’s NFL pedigree has to carry some weight with recruits.

I think the Illini have a shot here too because of their previous recruiting abilities. They were able to land Shammond Cooper who was a top 300 linebacker. Illinois also landed Marquez Beason in the last couple of classes. Beason was a top 150 recruit from the state of Texas, and he finished his high school career up at Duncanville High School.

The final tidbit that I wanted to point out is the fact Illinois can bring Blackshire into the program and have him start from day one. This kid is a superstar and needs to see early action. I think Champaign would be a perfect landing spot.

Illinois is going to have their work cut out for them to be able to add a player like Blackshire. But I think there is a possibility we could win this battle. Can you just imagine the Illini defense with this kid in the middle? Wow.