Illinois Football: 4-star wide receiver keeps Illini in top 10

The new Illinois football coaching staff continues to prove competent in the recruiting game as the Orange and Blue have made another top list.

On Wednesday, the Illini made the top five for 2022 cornerback, Patrick Body Jr. Illinois wasn’t finished this week with making top lists, though. On Friday, the Illini receive the good news that they had made the top 10 for Omar Cooper Jr.

Cooper is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound wide receiver from Lawrence North High School and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 215 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 29 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 5 player coming out of the Hoosier state.

While Illinois did make Cooper’s top 10, so did nine other programs. The nine teams joining the Illini include the likes of Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Indiana, Missouri and Virginia Tech. That is a tough list for the Illini take down.

What would Cooper bring to the Illinois football program?

Talent-wise, Cooper has everything I want in a wide receiver. His size is solid at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds, and he is probably going to grow some in the coming year or so.

Cooper checks all of the boxes athletically as well. He is quick off the line and can burn any defensive back. I love Cooper’s hands. He can go up and get any ball thrown to him. This kid is a playmaker in the truest form.

When you look at the Illinois wide receiver depth in the coming years, adding someone like Cooper would make this new Illini offense even more exciting. Isaiah Williams and Marquez Beason are both wide receivers now, and they are two of the most athletic players we have on the team right now. They are also only freshmen.

Illinois also has Brian Hightower for two more years. James Frenchie, a freshman, is going to have a chance to break out in the coming years as well. This Illini wide receiver corps is loaded, and adding Cooper could make them unstoppable.

Making the top 10 for Cooper is extremely important. Let’s not just own the state of Illinois, but let’s own the entire Midwest. Bret Bielema is doing a great job on the recruiting trail.