Illinois Football: DE Ty Cooper announces offer from Illini

Nailing down the defensive line was a major focus for the Illinois football team this past weekend.

The defensive line took a hit after the 2019 campaign. Defensive tackle was hit harder than defensive end, but we still need to replenish talent that we are going to lose on the end of the line in the next couple of classes. Adding a player like Ty Cooper would help build the depth the Illini need to compete.

Cooper is a 6-foot-4, 238-pound defensive end from Louisville High School and residing in Louisville, Mississippi. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 1191 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 68 weak-side defensive end in the nation. He is also the No. 18 player in the state of Mississippi.

On Saturday, Cooper took to Twitter to announce that the University of Illinois has come in with an offer. This isn’t the only offer for the talented edge rusher, though. Cooper has roughly 16 offers on the board right now with Ole Miss, Colorado, Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi and Tennessee having the lead, according to 247Sports.

This could be a tough recruitment to get into for the Illini. But, if we could, Cooper brings a ton of talent to the table.

The first thing, and the best thing, that sticks out to me is Cooper’s discipline. This kid doesn’t just go full steam ahead. He isn’t just using his physical skills to be dominant at the high school level. Cooper keeps contain and doesn’t let the ball carrier get around him. This is extremely important at the next level with so much run-pass option being run.

I also love Cooper’s ability to be flexible with his play. He can have his hand in the dirt or he can play standing up. This gives him the ability to either rush the passer or drop back on a tight end or a slot receiver.

This is a fantastic offer by Illinois. I would love to get in on this kid and make some waves. Hopefully, we can sneak in and win this big-time recruitment.