Illinois Football: Class of 2021 recruits who have the Illini on their top list

There are so many recruits available for the class of 2021, so here is a look in on what players are keeping the Illinois football program on their top list.

Some people look at top lists and just shrug them off. They don’t like them because there is nothing set in stone. But I look at a top list as a peek inside the brain of the recruit. The teams on the recruits list are the programs he is liking the most and is showing the most attention to said recruit.

There have been top lists that Illinois has made but ultimately missed out on. One of the recent misses that hurt was Antonio Doyle Jr. The Illini were in his top three, but he committed to Texas A&M. Another one was Luke Ford. We were in his top five, but he picked Georgia. He ended up coming back home, though.

But there have been some triumphs too. Marquez Beason was a top recruit in the state of Texas and had Illinois in his top four. The Illini ended up winning out in that recruitment. Another big snag was Reggie Love. Illinois made his top seven and most had him going to Notre Dame. But we came through big in this recruitment.

Just about every recruit makes a top list, and Illinois will come out ahead in some and will end up losing in others. It is all part of the recruiting game. But being in the mix is something you have to do to land these recruits.

Here are the class of 2021 recruits who have the Illini on their top list.