Illinois Football: Recruiting breakdown of new Illini target Anthony Brown

Illinois football needs players who can come in from the class of 2022 and play multiple positions.

Depth is a concern for the Illini, so getting these types of players is important. Someone like Anthony Brown would be perfect for the Orange and Blue. He is an athlete to the truest form.

Recruiting profile

Brown is a 6-foot-2, 192-pound athlete from Milan High School and resides in Milan, Tennessee. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 469 player in the class of 2022 and the No. 40 athlete in the nation. He is also the No. 17 player in the state of Tennessee.

Talent

The term “athlete” fits Brown really well. This kid can play just about any position on the football field. The ability to do this makes him a valuable asset to any team in the country.

I think Brown is going to play more on the defensive side of the ball in college. He seems well suited at defensive back, specifically the safety position. I believe this is where he would shine the brightest.

Obviously, Brown has a ton of speed to his game. That is the main reason why he can play both sides of the ball. But I think his power is something that is underrated. This kid can come in and lay a hit on an offensive player. The opposing wide receiver will not want to come over the middle.

Vision is another thing that stands out to me about Brown’s game. This kid does have great instincts, but above the shoulders is pretty impressive too. He can see what is going on with a play and read where the ball is going next. He uses his brain, and that is important.

Options

There are so many options for Brown in the recruiting world. The kid has roughly 32 scholarship offers already on the table for 2022.

I don’t see an official top list yet, but 247Sports has Michigan State, Tennessee and Alabama as his top three right now. That is some serious recruiting firepower. The fact Brown is barely inside the top 500 is shocking. With that many scholarships already, I would venture to say this kid is extremely underrated.

Opinion

Illinois is late to the party with the offer. The new coaching staff for the Illini is just trying to build a solid class of 2022 despite just starting the recruiting process about two months ago.

It is tough for Bret Bielema to really get momentum here. With 32 scholarship offers, I would imagine Brown has a handful of teams he is really serious about right now. One of those probably isn’t Illinois.

But there is a ton of time until the early National Signing Day. If Illinois can get a Zoom call and maybe an unofficial visit when things start opening back up, then we might have a chance to make some noise. But let’s take this recruitment one day at a time right now. I would highly doubt Illinois is in the mix yet.