Illinois Football: Illini land in top 10 for Michael Trigg

The Illinois football team is very familiar with top-flight tight ends and the potential they can have in Champaign.

Current Illini tight end, Daniel Barker, had a breakout 2019 campaign catching 18 passes for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hopefully, those numbers can stay the same with incoming transfer and top 100 national recruit, Luke Ford, entering the program. Ford was one of the best tight ends in the nation coming out of the class of 2018 and will get his first chance at playing for the Orange and Blue this season.

Making sure there is always talent at the tight end position has become more important today than ever. The New England Patriots started the two tight end sets and many teams are forming their offenses around how well that worked. That is why the Illini always needs two bruisers at tight end. The next great tight end for the Orange and Blue could be Michael Trigg.

Trigg is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end from Carrollwood Day High School and resides in Tampa, Florida. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 114 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 3 tight end in the nation. He is also the No. 17 player in the state of Florida.

The scholarships are plentiful for Trigg. He has roughly 48 scholarship offers, with almost every Power Five program pursuing the talented pass catcher. But, on Sunday afternoon, Trigg decided to cut his list down to just 10 teams. The 10 programs he kept alive for his commitment included Michigan State, South Carolina, USC, Auburn, North Carolina, LSU, Ohio State, Kentucky, Penn State and Illinois.

Illinois is in some good company for Trigg’s commitment. What do the Illini bring to the table that would benefit the star tight end?

I would first start off with playing time. While Ford is going to start for Illinois this year, this could be his lone year in Champaign. He will only be a sophomore, but he spent a year at Georgia, a year transferring and then this upcoming season would be his third year removed from high school. That is all it would take to be eligible for the NFL Draft. Of course, that scenario is if Ford plays lights out in 2020.

Let’s say Ford stays through the 2021 campaign. That would mean both Ford (junior) and Barker (senior) would be there when Trigg comes into the program. Trigg could redshirt his first year, and then I would imagine both Ford and Barker would depart for the NFL. This would leave Trigg the starting job as a redshirt freshman. Either way, he is going to get early playing time.

Another area why Trigg might come to Illinois is the fact we recruit the state of Florida well. Coach Keynodo Hudson has done a good job picking players from the Sunshine State. 20 players on the Illini roster live in Florida or attended high school in Florida. That is a pipeline that has helped this program. Trigg could be another member of that pipeline to take us to the top.

The final thing I want to point out is who would be getting Trigg the ball. When Lovie Smith took over the Illini, the quarterback depth chart was a train wreck. But he has since stabilized the position. I would imagine Isaiah Williams takes over in 2021 as a sophomore. Behind him, I see either Deuce Spann or Samari Collier taking the reins after he is done in Champaign. Trigg would be coming into a program that has stability at quarterback. That is a huge benefit.

I am excited Illinois made Trigg’s top 10. He is an extremely talented tight end who will do wonders at the next level. I hope the Illini can be a true contender in the race for this top recruit.