Illinois Football: 2022 commit Joey Okla, Illini “stress a family aspect”
Since Bret Bielema entered the picture, the Illinois football team has been hitting the recruiting trail harder than we have seen in years past.
The great effort by the Illini staff has already started to pay dividends for the class of 2022. On Friday afternoon, Illinois received their first commitment for the upcoming class when Joey Okla decided to end his recruitment and pledge to the Orange and Blue.
Okla is a 6-foot-3, 285-pound offensive guard from Hartland, Wisconsin and currently attends Arrowhead High School. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but the recruiting attention is starting to heat up the talented offensive lineman.
Committed! Huge thanks to my Family, friends, and coaches for making me the man I am today. Also, a big thanks to @BretBielema @Coach_BMiller and the rest of the Illinois staff for believing in me! #Illini #famILLy22 pic.twitter.com/WBU5EGgpNP
— Joey Okla (@JoeyOkla) February 5, 2021
Besides Illinois, the other scholarship offer extended to Okla has been from Eastern Illinois. He did have recruiting attention from other programs like Iowa State, though. Despite being fairly early in the process and the Illini offering him just about a week ago, Okla liked what he saw with Illinois and wanted to make the commitment.
“I chose Illinois because of the great staff that Coach Bielema has put together. They really stress a family aspect and that’s what I love. It’s always been my dream to play Big Ten football, and I couldn’t be happier to play under Coach Bielema, Coach Miller and the rest of the staff!”
What does Okla bring to the Illinois football program?
Okla’s build at 6-foot-3, 285-pounds screams guard at the college level. This kid is built well, and that will only help him in the Big Ten. But there are other elements I love as well.
The mobility of Okla is going to be extremely important at Illinois. With Arrowhead, he has displayed his ability to effectively pull on blocks to create holes. He can also get out on screens and get to the second level to free his running back. These two things will make him a fan favorite early on in his career.
Everything I am seeing with Okla reminds me a lot of someone like Nick Allegretti. I believe that is a level of skill this kid could achieve with the Illini.
Next. Illini report card against the Indiana Hoosiers. dark
Illinois has now added to their class of 2022. It is great to see a player commit to the new Bielema regime. I assume Okla will just be the start of a great class.