Illinois Football: Illini building a great relationship with Austin Barber

There are plenty of top lists the Illinois football is finding themselves on nowadays.

Getting on a top list for a recruit is an accomplishment in itself, but landing the big fish is what tends to trip teams up. Back on May 20, Illini target Austin Barber decided to cut his list down. He narrowed his decision to 13 teams and kept Georgia Tech, UNC, Louisville, Duke, South Florida, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Ole Miss, Coastal Carolina, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, UCF and Illinois all alive for his commitment.

This was a good top list to make for Illinois. Barber is a big-time recruit who can turn into a star player for the program. This kid stands at 6-foot-7, 315 pounds. He is a mountain of a player. 247Sports rates him as a three-star recruit who is the No. 899 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 87 offensive tackle in the nation.

It would be nice to land a player like Barber. Illinois will have to go through 12 other programs to accomplish this goal. Thankfully, the Writing Illini got a little insight from Barber himself about his recruitment. The biggest question being; why was Illinois included?

“I have a great relationship with Coach (Bob) McClain, and they play in the Big Ten.”

Coach McClain is one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. He can add an “ace recruiter” to his resume as well. His ability to develop relationships has gone a long way in landing the talented linemen we have on the roster today. It is also helping with a player like Barber.

Playing in the Big Ten can help with a lot of players as well. Barber’s excitement about the conference is another benefit to potentially landing him. He has some other things on his mind when choosing a program too.

“Development to the next level after college, academics and a family atmosphere.”

Honestly, Illinois can provide all three of those things for Barber. They are one of the best schools academically in the nation. The family atmosphere is there with the program, just ask any recruit who has committed.

Illinois even sends kids to the next level. Sure, the NFL Draft has been a little bare recently, but players are still signing and succeeding with NFL teams despite not being drafted. We have had a Super Bowl champion in three of the past four Super Bowls. This program can get you to the pinnacle of the NFL.

But as great as a player is, there is also room to grow. Barber realizes where is weaknesses are and what to do to fix them.

“My pass sets and flexibility is the main thing I am working on the most. I am just stretching a lot and I go on the field and do pass set drills.”

It has to be hard with everything going on in the world to work on things. Barber seems to be not letting the rough circumstances get in the way of his development. He is a nose-to-the-grindstone type of player, and that is what Lovie Smith and the Illini coaching staff are looking for.

Of course, a player like Barber wouldn’t be ranked in the top 1000 if there weren’t some things that stood out about his game. I have watched some of his highlights and am impressed with what the kid can do on the field. But I wanted to hear from Barber about what areas he believes are his main strengths.

“I am an excellent run blocker. That is where I dominate the most, and I also have quick feet and am very athletic.”

Barber has all of the tools to be elite at the next level. The team that ends up landing this talented offensive lineman is going to be getting a good one.

Illinois was already able to host Barber for a virtual tour. This was a big step in developing that great relationship. While there isn’t a plan on cutting the list down, yet, there is an idea of when a commitment will be announced.

“Before my senior season.”

Barber is focused on the future. He knows what he wants in a program. Any team would be lucky to land this kid. No matter what team he chooses, they will be getting a kid who has his head on straight and is ready to work.