Illinois Football: Illini receive first Crystal Ball prediction for 2022

The class of 2022 is going to be the tone-setter for the Illinois football program and their new coaching regime.

There isn’t much Bret Bielema and his coaching staff can do about the class of 2021. Thankfully, a vast majority of the group that had already committed to the Illini stuck with their commitment. This is going to help the program tremendously.

Bielema has also been able to do some great patchwork with the class of 2021. He has brought in two commitments of his own, and he has added five transfer players who will all help this team win games in the near future.

So, in a matter of about a month, Illinois’ class of 2021 went from roughly 15 committed players, all freshmen, to about 20 committed players and a mix of freshmen and microwave transfers.

I have been impressed with what Bielema has done in a short amount of time, but his focus is also on 2022 and building out that class. I feel like he is building the relationships that he needs to build to have a great group of players come in next year.

One player that I have been keeping an eye on is offensive tackle, Danny McGuire.

McGuire is a three-star offensive tackle who is ranked as the No. 448 player in the class of 2022. It would be nice to snag a player like McGuire because it helps establish a stronger recruiting presence in the state of Illinois, since he is out of Chicago. That is something Bielema has preached from day one on the job; win the state.

After conversations with McGuire about his recruitment, I always had the vibes that he wanted to stay home and play for the Illini. He liked the previous coaching regime at Illinois and is warming up quickly to the new coaching staff as well. While there are other teams like Indiana, Michigan State, Cal and Colorado in his recruitment, it seems like Illinois is right there.

On Sunday, the vibes I was getting from McGuire were also being felt by the guys over at 247Sports. Jeremy Werner of 247Sports decided to put the

first Crystal Ball

for the Illini in the class of 2022 on McGuire.

While there isn’t a ton of confidence in the pick, as Werner only has McGuire as a six out of 10, the fact he has the confidence to put anything on the young offensive tackle bodes well for the Orange and Blue.

What to make of the Crystal Ball prediction for the Illini?

Honestly, I would say a six out of 10 is about right on McGuire. I may even go a seven out of 10. I am sure Werner has a little more insight than I do on the matter, but if I am getting good vibes from the kid, then I am sure Werner probably has the same or better.

If Illinois can wrangle in McGuire, it would be a huge first step for the new coaching staff. As previously mentioned, McGuire is a Chicago kid, and having Illinois snag a top-five player in the state of Illinois this early would big for the program.

Let’s also not forget that Bielema loves to run the ball. He is going to need some hogs up front. McGuire would fit that bill and would likely start year one considering our entire offensive line will depart after the 2021 campaign. I love the Crystal Ball prediction on McGuire.