Illinois Football: Cole Nelson cuts list and keeps Illini

The top lists that the Illinois football program has landed on continues to grow, what seems, by the day.

Lovie Smith has focused on building the defensive line. He clearly wants to have a dominating defense to help the rising offense. Snagging someone like Cole Nelson would help build depth on the front lines of the Illini defense.

Nelson is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound strong-side defensive end from Johns Creek High School and resides in Alpharetta, Georgia. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1075 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 63 strong-side defensive end in the nation. He is also the No. 92 player in the state of Georgia.

There were a ton of programs vying for Nelson’s commitment, but on Tuesday, he decided to narrow the focus of his recruitment. He is now down to a list of nine teams which consist of Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, East Carolina, Indiana, Central Florida, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Boston College and Illinois.

Nelson brings a lot of talent to the table at the defensive end position. I like his strength and think he could be a force with just that alone. But what really stands out to me about this kid is his technique. He knows what to do with his hands. He knows what to do with an offensive lineman when he is pass blocking. The fundamentals seem to be there with Nelson, and that is exciting for the future.

Where will Nelson fit in with the Illinois defense?

In the short term, the Illini are actually set up pretty well at defensive end. Their youth that they recruited the last couple of years is going to step up into a more prominent role when the 2021 campaign rolls around.

The fact we have players like Moses Okpala, Keith Randolph and Seth Coleman who will all be fighting for the starting defensive end jobs is a good thing for the program and for Nelson. This gives the Georgia product a chance to come in and redshirt his first season with the Illini.

In 2022, when Nelson is a redshirt freshman, the three players mentioned above will all move into their junior season. I see Nelson being a primary backup for a couple of years and then moving into a starting role by his junior year.

I love the Illini making Nelson’s top nine. I think we can make some waves with this recruitment. Hopefully, Lovie and the coaching staff can close this one.