The Illinois football coaching staff is always working, and the class of 2022 is no exception.
Sure, the class of 2021 isn’t quite finished yet with 16 commitments and a full allotment of scholarships available. Ranking No. 61 in the nation so far, the Illini have a good start. They just need to finish this class strong.
That doesn’t mean the class of 2022 should be forgotten about, though. With zero commitment so far, the Illini are looking to start their future off on the right foot.
247Sports has some of their ratings and rankings out for 2022, but there are still a ton of players who haven’t been evaluated. This is a talent-rich class, though. If you just look at the state of Illinois alone, all 12 evaluated players rank inside the top 700 nationally. That is impressive.
Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff have also been known to dabble outside the state of Illinois when it comes to recruiting. The usual pipelines of St. Louis, Texas and Florida are all jam-packed with talented recruits for 2022.
So, who should be the top priorities right now for the Illinois football team? There are so many great players who have a mutual interest, but what players should the Illini coaching staff be focusing on right now.
Here are the top 5 priorities for the Illini class of 2022.