Illinois Football: Illini making Josh Kreutz a priority for 2021

The Illinois football team is getting to the heart of the college football recruiting season, and that means the potential to land some talented players.

Building the class of 2021 into the strongest class since Lovie Smith took the reins is a priority for the program right now. While they only have one player committed for next season – Samari Collier – there are still quite a few players who are eyeing the Orange and Blue. One of those talented recruits is Josh Kreutz.

Kreutz is a 6-foot-2, 260-pound center from Loyola Academy and resides in Wilmette, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 878 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 14 center in the nation. He is also the No. 24 player in the state of Illinois.

Illinois came in with an offer to Kreutz back in early February, which makes sense considering the talent the kid brings to the table and the connection his family has with Lovie. Josh’s dad, Olin, played for the Chicago Bears and was Lovie’s center for seven years. But the younger Kreutz looks to blaze his own trail. He has a name to make for himself on the football field.

This isn’t a normally recruiting year for any player coming out of the class of 2021. With the Covid-19 pandemic happening, recruiting has been more difficult. This hasn’t stopped Illinois from being able to touch base with Kreutz, though. The young center let the Writing Illini in on how his recruiting is going so far and how the Illini have been communicating with him.

“Through text/DMs, phone calls, face times and I did a zoom one time.”

There are a lot of different avenues to keep in touch with recruits. Kreutz described the ways the Illini have been keeping up-to-date with him above, but are they making him a priority?

“Yes, I think so; we have been in contact a lot.”

Illinois seems to want a player like Kreutz on the team for 2021. Sadly, he wasn’t able to make it onto the campus before everything shut down due to Covid-19. Hopefully, things start improving and the curve starts coming back down so players like Kreutz can explore campuses before making a commitment.

Football will eventually continue on, and one area that proves the young Kreutz isn’t falling too far from the tree is the position he plays now. The Writing Illini had a chance to ask him if the Illini had talked about what position he would play at the next level.

“Yeah, center.”

Another center with the last name Kreutz being coached by Lovie is something I will never get tired of. The NFL blood is in this kid, and we could potentially see him wearing Illinois colors. But what is the next step in Kreutz’s recruitment?

“I am just waiting to see when I can finally visit, so I can get a feel for the school (Illinois).”

Kreutz also let us in on what he would be looking for when he does finally get the chance to visit.

“I am looking for a place where I feel I can play at the highest level.”

Illinois can provide that opportunity. We will need offensive linemen in the near future, especially with a top-level player like center Doug Kramer graduating. What should Illinois fans expect from someone like Kreutz, though?

“I want them to know that I am going to work hard and that I love the game.”

Recruiting might be at a standstill right now, but Illini coaches are still keeping close contact with Kreutz. They know how good this kid can be on the football field. He could help this program win games and be a leader much like his father was in the Bears locker room.

The future is extremely bright wherever Kreutz decides to go to school and play football. Hopefully, the Illini can add him to the class of 2021, though. We need someone like him to continue building what should be a great group of recruits.