Illinois Football: Bret Bielema continues to impress with in-state recruiting

The Bret Bielema era of Illinois football has started off on the right foot when it comes to recruiting.

Illinois currently has 13 players signed up for 2022. This start to the 2022 class has earned the Illini the No. 43 class in the nation. They aren’t even close to being done either, as there are a lot more roster spots to fill and the potential is through the roof on who we could end up landing.

While no one is sure who will commit to the Illini next, there is one thing everyone can agree on. Bielema is recruiting the state of Illinois and it is refreshing to see.

Jared Badie decided to commit to Illinois back on July 4, and he is the most recent Illini commitment. On top of Badie being one of the highest-rated recruits to pledge thus far, he is also from the state of Illinois. Among the 13 commitments for the Orange and Blue, seven are in-state players.

Illinois football hasn’t seen this type of in-state recruiting in years.

I know, it doesn’t seem like a big deal that seven out of 13 committed players are from the state of Illinois. But when you look at the numbers, that is a massive jump from recent recruiting classes.

If you look at the Illinois class of 2020 and 2021, you will find that only four total recruits who committed to the program were actually from the state of Illinois. All four of those pledges were from the 2021 class, as the 2020 class failed to secure a single in-state commitment.

Even the two classes prior – the class of 2018 and 2019 – Illinois wasn’t bringing in big in-state hauls. The Illini managed 10 total in-state commitments in those two classes, both groups had a total of five apiece. So, just 13 commitments in for the 2022 class and already they have more state of Illinois pledges than any class since 2018.

The class of 2017 is the last time Illinois secured more in-state commitments. They had 10 pledges from the state of Illinois that year, and it is not a coincidence that was the Illini’s only top 50 recruiting class in the Lovie Smith era.

Needless to say, it is nice to see the Illinois football program going after in-state talent. I believe in getting talented players who aren’t from the state of Illinois, but when you have fertile recruiting grounds in your backyard, you should take advantage of them. Bielema is doing just that.