Illinois Football: Illini sign class of 2021 linebacker Dylan Rosiek

Illinois football needs to have a constant rotation of dominating linebackers, and I believe they are adding another piece to the middle of the defense from the class of 2021.

Dylan Rosiek is that piece I am referring to. A solid linebacker from the same high school as current Illinois linebacker Jake Hansen, Rosiek ended up signing on Wednesday to officially join the Orange and Blue.

Rosiek is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound inside linebacker from East Lake High School and resides in Tarpon Springs, Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit, the No. 1638 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 75 inside linebacker in the nation. He is also the No. 228 player in the state of Florida.

Breakdown of Rosiek’s impact on Illinois

Much like the rest of the Illinois roster, the linebacker corps is extremely thin. Departing after the 2020 campaign will be Jake Hansen and Milo Eifler, two of the three Illini starters.

I do love some of the pieces we have remaining, though. Shammond Cooper is going to be a star, and I think Tarique Barnes and Khalan Tolson will be really good as well. But there is zero depth at linebacker.

Rosiek is going to have a chance to come in, get bigger, and help this Illinois football team early on. He is going to be needed from day one. I am not sure if he is going to have the luxury of redshirting.

Illinois needs more linebacker help. They are receiving that with the addition of Rosiek. Hopefully, he can get up to speed quickly so he can contribute right away.