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Illinois Football: Top 5 priorities for the Illini class of 2022

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 02: The Illinois Fighting Illini helmet on the field after a win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 02: The Illinois Fighting Illini helmet on the field after a win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Nov 2, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; A fly over is seen during the national anthem prior to the first half of a game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; A fly over is seen during the national anthem prior to the first half of a game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Rashad Rochelle – 3-Star – Quarterback (Dual-Threat)

You can’t move the ball if you don’t have a quarterback. Snagging a talented passer in every class has been a goal for Lovie Smith and his coaching staff.

Rashad Rochelle should be made a priority moving forward. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Springfield, Illinois native received a scholarship offer from the Illini back in late September. This is the offer that he was wanting for a while, and Illinois finally pulled the trigger.

The full rankings haven’t been released by 247Sports, but Rochelle checks in currently as a three-star recruit who is the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the No. 5 player in the state of Illinois. These rankings will surely stay about the same with Rochelle eventually cracking the top 1000 nationally.

Illinois does have a nice quarterback room right now. With Brandon Peters departing shortly, Isaiah Williams is sure to take the starting job in the next year or so. Williams took a redshirt in 2019, so he still enters the 2020 campaign as a redshirt freshman. So, we still have some youth at quarterback.

Moving forward, Illinois is set at the quarterback position as well. The class of 2020 is bringing Deuce Spann into the mix. He is a top 100 recruit. The class of 2021 is then bringing in Samari Collier. He is just a shade outside the top 1000 but is lighting it up so far during his senior year in high school.

Rochelle would be next in line. Coming in from the class of 2022, Rochelle would have a chance to redshirt in year one and then take the reins down the road. He is going to have time to develop. But this Illinois coaching staff is making sure the program doesn’t go without a quarterback. That is why making Rochelle a priority is important.

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