Illinois Football: Malik Elzy a key piece to the future for the Illini

Illinois football continues to see success for the 2022 class, but that doesn’t stop the coaching staff from recruiting even further into the future.

The recruiting game never ends, and Bret Bielema knows this fact. Illinois coaches are putting in the work to recruit for the upcoming season and beyond. One of the most recent scholarship offers is to 2023 wide receiver, Malik Elzy.

Elzy is a 6-foot-3, 198-pound wide receiver from Simeon Academy and resides in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 46 wide receiver in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 3 player coming from the state of Illinois.

Illinois is getting in early on the Elzy sweepstakes, but they aren’t the only program to come in with an offer. He has also received offers from teams like Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin. There are more sure to come within the next few months as well.

What would Elzy bring to the Illinois football program?

Let me first start by saying Elzy has amazing size for his age. The fact he just finished up his sophomore season and already stands at 6-foot-3 is amazing. There is no telling how big this kid will be by the time he enters the college ranks.

Elzy has tremendous speed that enables him to break away from the defensive back. He can burn right past the secondary for an open catch down the field. His great speed also allows him to pull away from defenders in the intermediate crossing routes.

I love how Elzy uses his body too. He isn’t just a big player who can go up and get the ball. This kid is able to use his body to get great position on the cornerback. By doing this, he has better position to get the pass and to pull it down.

Honestly, when 247Sports starts to evaluate more players for 2023, it wouldn’t shock me to see Elzy climb the in-state rankings. I am going to go out on a limb and say Elzy is a top 300 recruit nationally. The kid is a beast. Love the offer by the Illini.