Illinois Football: 2021’s Kalen Villanueva commits to Illini

The Illinois football team continued their hot streak of commitments with another pledge on Wednesday afternoon.

Kalen Villanueva took to Twitter to announce that he has decided to end his recruitment and commit to the University of Illinois. This commitment followed DD Snyder’s commitment just two days ago. Illinois is starting to build a solid class of 2021.

Villanueva is a 6-foot-1, 206-pound cornerback from Stuart High School and resides in Falls Church, Virginia. He is rated as a two-star recruit who is the No. 64 player in the state of Virginia.

Illinois was by no means the only team to offer Villanueva a scholarship. He also had offers from Campbell, Army, Penn and William & Mary. The schools that have offered him a scholarship shows me that his kid is extremely smart.

In addition to the brains, Villanueva has the talent too. He is listed as a cornerback, but I believe Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff will use the kid at multiple positions. I think he can play the defensive back role, but I am curious to see if he bulks up a little and maybe moves to linebacker. I think some type of role on the offensive side of the ball could happen down the road too.

I love Villanueva’s speed on the field. I think that is his most underrated attribute. This kid can move. His physical size is something that will be used at the next level. He plays bigger than his measurements show. I can’t wait to see what this kid can do on the field.

Where does Villanueva fit in on the Illinois roster?

Whatever position Villanueva ends up playing, the Illini won’t need him right away. He is going to have a chance to sit year one and get stronger and faster. This will save him a year of eligibility, and it will improve his game greatly.

The name of the game is depth in college. Having someone like Villanueva who can play multiple positions will be great for the Illini. By his redshirt sophomore year, this kid could be getting snaps. At worst, the Illini will have someone who can step in if there is an injury.

Illinois added to the family on Wednesday. We now have 12 players committed for 2021. This class is building and not even close to being completed. I can’t wait to see how we finish things off.