Illinois Football: 2022 class grows as Illini add linebacker to the mix

Illinois football added to their family for the 2022 class on Monday afternoon.

Bret Bielema and the Illini coaching staff were coming off their biggest weekend as coaches for the Orange and Blue, as 16 recruits took one of their five official visits to Champaign. One of the recruits who visited the Illinois facilities included Malachi Hood.

Well, that official visit from Hood has now turned into a commitment. Via Twitter, Hood announced that he has decided to end his recruitment and commit to the Illinois football program. This is a good pledge for Bielema and one that will pay dividends down the road.

Hood is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker from Joliet Catholic Academy and resides in Joliet, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 85 linebacker in the nation. He is also the No. 25 player coming out of Illinois for 2022.

The recruiting attention for Hood had started to heat up as coaches from around the country were keeping tabs on him. Teams like Akron, Miami (OH) and Kent State were all potentially going to jump on the Hood recruitment, but Illinois was able to get to the talented linebacker before anyone could make a move. After an offer to Hood on June 1 and an official visit this past weekend, the Illini have found more linebacker depth with a commitment.

Hood will have an impact on the Illinois football roster down the road.

I don’t expect Hood to be an early playing time guy, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of value to having him on the team. I think he has a chance to be a special player down the road.

Hood will probably take a redshirt in year one and be ready to contribute when 2023 rolls around. He should be a second or third-tier linebacker in his first couple of seasons. By 2025, that is when I see Hood stepping into a bigger contributor role. He would be a redshirt junior then.

I love Hood’s lower body. A lot of his power comes from his legs. He can drive an offensive tackle back when blitzing. That is always something I enjoy. I also think his ability to power throughout the field with his legs will enable him to keep up with opposing tight ends. Hood’s physical frame is something Illinois’ strength and conditioning coaches can build on.

This is a solid get for the Orange and Blue. Illinois now has nine commitments for 2022, and they rank No. 29 nationally. I look for that number to continue to stay the same in the coming months. Let’s snag a top 40 class for 2022.