Illinois basketball continues to try to find their future big man, as they are now eyeing a west coast recruit.
I love who the Illini have snagged for the 2022 class as of right now. Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris are both top 100 recruits who will make an impact from day one. But there is a question most Illinois fans have right now. Who will replace Kofi Cockburn when he departs the program?
Illinois has a few options on the team, but there aren’t any proven commodities who can slide in and fill some of the void left by the future NBA big man. One option in the recruiting market could end up being Jaxon Kohler.
Blessed to receive an offer to the University of Illinois! Thank you Coach Underwood and Coach Frazier for the opportunity! Go #fightingillini pic.twitter.com/Ebu35H8cDb
— Jaxon Kohler (@jaxonkohler) September 7, 2021
Kohler is a 6-foot-8, 250-pound power forward from Southern California Academy and resides in American Fork, Utah. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 70 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 9 power forward in the nation and the No. 10 player coming out of Utah.
On Tuesday, Illinois entered the sweepstakes to land Kohler. It is a little late in the game, though. Kohler already has roughly 15 scholarship offers and three official visits either scheduled or already taken. He visited Iowa back on September 4. USC gets the next visit on September 18. Nebraska rounds out his three scheduled visits as Kohler takes a trip to Lincoln on September 25.
What is the recruiting pitch Illinois basketball should use on Kohler?
Let’s lay out some of the facts. Illinois is late to the game on Kohler, but I don’t blame the current coaching staff. The former Illini assistant coaches didn’t recruit the kid, and then they left for other teams.
The hiring of Chester Frazier as an assistant coach has pay dividends already, and his fingerprints are on this offer to Kohler, as he mentioned Coach Frazier in the offer announcement tweet.
While Illinois is behind the eight ball to start this recruitment, it wouldn’t shock me to see us get a look from Kohler. I think the recruiting pitch by Illinois would be simple; playing time and title contender.
Kohler is clearly okay with playing away from the state of Utah and California, as two of his three official visits are to the Midwest. So, pitching the big man that he is the future at the No. 5 spot for the Orange and Blue would be a great angle.
Illinois could provide the starting job from day one and surround him with talented players. 2022 is already bringing in two top 100 recruits. Kohler would be the third top 100 talent in the bunch. These three would join fellow top 100 recruits in Luke Goode, Ramses Melendez, Brandin Podziemksi, and Andre Curbelo, among others.
I believe the Illini coaching staff has a lot to offer Kohler. Let’s see if we can make some noise and land one of his final two official visits.