Illinois Football: Byron Murphy II keeps Illini in his top 10

The Illinois football program has landed on multiple top lists for 2021 recruits, and they landed on another top list this past Thursday.

This Illini coaching staff has been trying to add players to their 2021 recruiting class. On Thursday, they came one step closer to accomplishing that goal when Bryon Murphy II kept Illinois in his top 10.

Murphy is a 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive tackle who plays for DeSoto High School and resides in DeSoto, Texas. He is rated as a three-star defensive tackle and ranked as the No. 399 recruit in the class of 2021. Murphy is also the No.23 ranked defensive tack in the nation and the No. 57 recruit in the state of Texas.

The 10 programs that Murphy kept on his list include Georgia, Baylor, Mississippi State, Iowa State, Minnesota, Colorado, Memphis, SMU, Houston and Illinois. I believe it is a possibility that the Orange and Blue could be a top landing spot for the talented defensive tackle.

One of the reasons Murphy could land with the Illini is that we have strong ties to his current high school program. DeSoto quarterback, Samari Collier, is currently committed to the Illini. Having a commit who plays for the same high school program is a huge advantage.

Illinois has been recruiting the state of Texas well too. They have six current players on the roster from the Lone Star State. Another reason is that he could get immediate playing time with the Illini. I say this because Illinois doesn’t have a lot of depth at the defensive tackle position.

It is important that Illinois keeps pursuing Murphy. This kid is a big-time recruit, and he would be a perfect fit for the program. He would bring depth at defensive tackle and keep the pipeline to Texas going as well.