Illinois Football: Illini sign class of 2021 guard Brody Wisecarver

Despite losing their head coach just days before National Signing Day, the Illinois football team still managed to ink their top commit.

On Wednesday, Brody Wisecarver put pen to paper and made it official. He is a part of the Illinois football program.

Wisecarver is a 6-foot-4, 317-pound offensive guard from Osage High School and resides in St. Louis, Missouri. He is rated as a three-star recruit and is the No. 477 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 25 guard in the nation. He is also the No. 6 player in the state of Missouri.

Breakdown of Wisecarver’s impact on Illinois

An already shallow offensive line will continue to lose even more depth entering the 2021 campaign. Illinois is losing Alex Palczewski, Doug Kramer and Vederian Lowe, who were all starters on the Illini offensive line.

Guard Kendrick Green may come back, but he could depart for the NFL after his junior year. That leaves the cupboard pretty bare for the Orange and Blue.

Wisecarver is going to enter the Illini program this spring, though. He is graduating early and will be able to suit up for spring practice. This will help his development tremendously. Illinois will have a new head coach at the helm, so there will be time to gel.

Getting Wisecarver familiar with the speed of college football and the blocking schemes before his freshman year is huge. This will enable him to be a primary backup as a true freshman. Illinois’ depth with be greatly helped by Wisecarver enrolling early.