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Illinois Basketball: 5 recruits who could lead the Illini to a national title

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 06: General view of Illinois Fighting Illini basketballs seen before the game against the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 06: General view of Illinois Fighting Illini basketballs seen before the game against the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN , IL – NOVEMBER 13: The Big 10 logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Georgetown Hoyas and the Illinois Fighting Illini at the State Farm Center on November 13, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

2. Ty Rodgers

The other big target I could see Illinois end up landing for 2022 is Ty Rodgers. The Illini coaching staff have been putting the full-court press on Rodgers recently, and it could end up paying off.

Rodgers is a 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Grand Blanc Community High School and resides in Grand Blanc, Michigan. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 63 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 17 small forward in the nation and the best player coming out of Michigan.

The best player in the state of Michigan usually stays home or, at least, they usually don’t come to Illinois. But Rodgers might be built differently. He has an interest in the Illini, and Brad Underwood is putting the resources into recruiting the kid.

Underwood has visited Rodgers at his high school on multiple occasions, and Rodgers took an official visit to Champaign back on September 16. Illinois is right in the mix for this talented forward.

The “experts” at 247Sports do see Rodgers landing with Michigan, though. They have a six out of 10 confidence, which isn’t too high. I take that prediction with a grain of salt.

Illinois’ lineup would be absolutely dirty if they could land Rodgers. Just think about the possibility of Rodgers and Cam Whitmore in the same lineup too. I could see something like Andre Curbelo (4-star), Brandin Podziemski (4-star), Whitmore (5-star), Rodgers (4-star), and Omar Payne (4-star). Players like Luke Goode, RJ Melendez, and Coleman Hawkins would be coming off the bench. That is an insane team.

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