Illinois Basketball: Illini target Ty Rodgers takes another visit to Champaign

While the Illinois basketball team is off to a predictably hot start to the 2021-22 campaign, there is also some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of.

The Illini officially inked two huge recruits for the 2022 class just days ago. Jayden Epps, No. 75 player in the class of 2022, and Sencire Harris, the No. 106 player, officially put pen to paper and signed on with the Orange and Blue during the signing period.

These two talented players signed during the early signing period, which officially closes on November 17. The regular signing period is from April 13, 2022 through May 18, 2022. With that being said, Illinois isn’t finished with their class of 2022.

The Illini needs some size for the 2022 class. They need a player who can come in and bang around in the paint but can do various things on the court. That player needs to be Ty Rodgers.

Rodgers is a 6-foot-7, 195-pound small forward from Thornton Township High School and resides in Harvey, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 53 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 16 small forward in the nation and the best player coming out of Illinois.

Illinois basketball seems to be a top priority for Ty Rodgers.

It has been a tight race for Rodgers over the past few months. Many programs were vying for his commitment, but on October 29, he narrowed his list down to just Memphis, Alabama, Michigan State, and Illinois.

Rodgers has already been on an official visit to each program. Illinois has made him a priority from day one as well. When Rodgers attended high school in Michigan, the Illini coaching staff would make trips up to see him. They continued those trips when he transferred over to Thornton Township as well.

Now Rodgers is returning the visits. He took another unofficial visit down to Champaign on Friday night. Rodgers checked out the Orange and Blue as they dominated Arkansas State. The fact he is making another trip to see Illinois play is great news if you are an Illini fan.

Honestly, I have thought Illinois was in the driver’s seat for Rodgers for quite some time now. The fact he hasn’t committed is what has worried me the most. But, in my opinion, Rodgers visiting Illinois like this gives me more confidence that he is going to pick the Illini.

The best-case scenario would be if Rodgers committed in the next couple of days and signed before the November 17 deadline. But this, most likely, will go into 2022 until he signs sometime during the regular signing period. Either way, Illinois needs to land this massive recruit.