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Illinois Football: 5 biggest official visits for the Illini this offseason

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 19: General view of an Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium on October 19, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Wisconsin defeated Illinois 56-32. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 19: General view of an Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium on October 19, 2013 in Champaign, Illinois. Wisconsin defeated Illinois 56-32. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 02: The Illinois Fighting Illini helmet on the field after a win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

3. Dallan Hayden

It has been a long time since Illinois has had a dominating running back. We used to be known for our talented ball carriers. That is why I want Dallan Hayden in Champaign.

Hayden is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back from Christian Brothers High School and resides in Memphis, Tennessee. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 238 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 23 running back in the nation and the No. 7 player in the state of Tennessee.

On January 1, Hayden cut his list down to four programs. The four teams to make his top list included Oregon, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Tennessee. Well, that list came out before Illinois was able to slip in and offer the kid. The Illini offered Hayden on January 20.

Even before Hayden was offered by the Illini, Bret Bielema was able to secure the transfer of his brother, Chase, who had played for Bielema at Arkansas. This happened on January 7. So, with Hayden’s brother in the mix and Illinois offering him a scholarship, things started to come together for the Illini to sneak into the conversation.

Hayden then started taking some unofficial visits, one of which was to Illinois on March 18. And then the official visits started getting planned. Where is the first official visit Hayden is going to take? None other than Illinois, a team not originally on his top four. He will take his official visit to Champaign on June 4. Hayden follows that visit up with a trip to Notre Dame on June 11 and then to Ohio State on June 18.

Illinois has a lot of recruiting power right now when it comes to Hayden. Having the coach who recruited his brother and having his brother with the program are two huge recruiting tools. Hayden’s official visit will have a huge impact on this program.

There are two reasons why I put Hayden’s official visit in the top five. The first is the roster construct. Illinois’ depth at running back isn’t good. I am excited to see what Chase Brown and Reggie Love can do, though. But, even at that, those two haven’t proved much on offense. Hayden would have a chance to come in and compete for a place on the depth chart in year one. There would be a realistic chance he wins the starter job or even the primary backup role.

The other reason Hayden’s official visit is big is that he is a top 300 recruit. Illinois needs to get back to recruiting quality-level talent if we want to compete in the Big Ten. I love who we have on the roster, but we just weren’t recruiting well with the previous coaching staff. The quantity was never there and the quality decreased each season it seemed.

Securing Hayden would be huge for the Illini, and that is why he comes in as the No. 3 most important official visit for the program this offseason. He would be a foundation piece for the future.

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