The Chicagoland pipeline is starting to take shape in Champaign, as the Illinois football team offered 2022’s Jacob Bostick out of Palatine.
Right before the start of May, the Illini were hard at work establishing a new identity and fresh start. Despite a bowl game appearance in 2019, the team has seen little success over the past decade. With a new coaching staff and a clean slate on the recruiting front, the Illini are going back to the basics of in-state recruiting to revitalize a once-storied football tradition.
One of those in-state recruiting targets, Jacob Bostick, is a three-star 2022 wideout who is showing interest in the Illini. The Palatine product took to Twitter on April 30 to make the news official.
Praise God! After a great conversation with @BretBielema I am truly blessed to announce that I have received an offer from the University of Illinois! @IlliniFootball @NateMcNeal32 @CoachGMcDonald pic.twitter.com/5ewNIRyzYV
— Jacob Bostick (@JacobBostick5) May 1, 2021
During a six-game spring season, Bostick caught 31 receptions for 451 yards and nine touchdowns. The Palatine Pirates finished 4-2 overall with a 4-1 finish in the Mid-Suburban West conference. Victories included back-to-back shutouts of Hoffman Estates (42-0) and Schaumberg (44-0). A three-game winning streak was snapped with a 10-point loss against Buffalo Grove, which concluded the shortened, playoff-less 2021 season.
Bostick also has looks from Air Force, Army, Bowling Green, and Central Michigan. Although things can change at a moment’s notice, the Illini are the lone Big Ten team that has an interest in Bostick, as he will enter his senior year this upcoming fall.
What would Jacob Bostick bring to the Illinois football program?
The Illini need to reload on the wide receiver front, and Bostick would fit that description. Not only does Bostick have electrifying speed, but he can also make tough catches in tight windows.
In so many words, he is a playmaker and someone who would add an instant boost to any offense at the college level. Check out his highlights from his junior season above.
Let’s see if the Illini can win out and snag a hometown kid next year, as the Orange and Blue look to continue its rebuild to the top of the Big Ten.