Illinois Basketball: Illini are all-in on top 2022 recruit from Michigan
Illinois basketball is trying to bolster their frontcourt via the state of Michigan.
Snagging the best player from the state of Michigan is not something familiar to the Illini. But it could become a reality in the near future as Brad Underwood and the coaching staff is focusing on landing Ty Rodgers.
On Tuesday, Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers tweeted out that Underwood visited Rodgers at his high school that day. This comes on the heels of Rodgers taking an official visit to Champaign.
Illinois’ Brad Underwood making the full court press on Top-50 senior Ty Rodgers. Underwood will be in today to see Rodgers, he told @Stockrisers. The Grand Blanc star is fresh off his official visit to Champaign.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) September 21, 2021
Illinois landing Rodgers would be a big deal considering how highly rated the star forward is for the 2022 class. The 6-foot-7, 195-pound Grand Blanc, Michigan native is a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 54 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 16 small forward in the nation and the No. 1 player coming out of Michigan.
The resources being put in by the Illinois basketball program is good news.
Underwood visiting Rodgers at his high school and the kid taking an official visit to Champaign seems like pretty good news for Illini fans. This means there is a solid chance Illinois can win the Rodgers recruitment.
The battle for Rodgers isn’t going to be easy, though. Weingarten also reported that Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo did an in-home visit with Rodgers on Wednesday. He is also set for an official visit to Memphis, which is quickly turning into a recruiting powerhouse under Penny Hardaway.
I think it is fair to say that Illinois is right in the middle of the Rodgers recruitment, though. There is no doubt in my mind that Underwood thinks he can pull off this commitment or he wouldn’t be putting the time and money into recruiting him this hard.
On the opposite end of this conversation comes the possibility of missing out on Rodgers. Since the time and money are being put in on Rodgers, that means those resources are being shifted away from other recruits. So, if we miss out on Rodgers, it will be even more devastating than your average recruit.
Next. 5 reasons the Illini are a top 10 program. dark
I love that Illinois is in the race for one of the biggest recruits left on the board for 2022. If Rodgers does pick the Illini, I would think we are in a position to have one of the best teams in the country again for the 2022-23 campaign.