Illinois Football: 5 top Illini targets left for the class of 2022

Bret Bielema and his coaching staff have the Illinois football team trending in the right direction.

On the field, the Illini just finished with a respectable 5-7 record. The team fought tough and made the fanbase proud. Bielema is also doing well in the recruiting game.

Illinois has 17 commitments for 2022. They rank No. 45 in the nation in recruiting, but the Illini are not finished with recruiting the 2022 class just yet. There are still some talented recruits who I want to bring into the fold.

Here are five top Illinois football targets left for the class of 2022.

Elijah Mc-Cantos

Elijah Mc-Cantos is a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback from Edison High School and resides in Miami, Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 987 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 93 cornerback in the nation and the No. 125 player in the state of Florida.

Back on November 23, Mc-Cantos narrowed his list down to four teams. Kansas, West Virginia, Washington State, and Illinois all made the talented defensive back’s final list. He already took an official visit to Illinois back on October 2.

There are three Crystal Ball Predictions in favor of the Illini. Those predictions were submitted just weeks ago as well. A commitment will be announced on Tuesday.

Magnus Moller

Magnus Moller is a 6-foot-8, 300-pound offensive tackle from Denmark. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but there is decent interest in the overseas beast of a player. Moller has roughly eight scholarship offers with the biggest being from Louisville, Cincinnati, and Illinois.

Illinois had Moller in for an official visit this past weekend. He also took an unofficial visit to Champaign just a couple of weeks ago. There is not a commitment date set for Moller, though. But I would assume Illinois is right in the mix given the number of visits in November.

Elijah Davis

Elijah Davis is a 6-foot-1, 165-pound safety from Auburndale High School and resides in Auburndale, Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 988 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 75 safety in the nation and the No. 126 player coming out of Florida.

The recruiting attention is hot and heavy for Davis. He just had an in-home visit with South Florida. But Illinois did receive an official visit back on October 29. This was the last official visit Davis was on. There is not a commitment date set just yet.

Gabriel Jacas

Gabriel Jacas is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound edge rusher from Fort Pierce Central High School and resides in Fort Pierce, Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1291 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 60 edge rusher in the country and the No. 169 player coming out of Florida.

Back on July 5, Jacas committed to playing football at Tulane. That commitment has stayed strong, but just this past weekend, Jacas decided to take an official visit to Illinois. This means Jacas is interested in the program. It would be a good flip for the Illini, especially with the early national signing day approaching.

James Kreutz

James Kreutz is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker from Loyola Academy and resides in Wilmette, Illinois. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but look for Kreutz to start picking up some serious recruiting attention in the coming weeks.

Illinois had Kreutz in for a visit this past weekend. That is a sign that the Illini might want him in Champaign. It would shock me not to see Kreutz with the Orange and Blue. His father, Olin, was a legendary Chicago Bears center, and his brother, Josh, is the backup and soon-to-be starting center for the Illini. Kreutz also just made the Illinois 8A All-State team, which is an impressive feat.