Illinois Football: Naivyan Cargill joins strong group of incoming Illini tight ends

Bret Bielema is building quite a solid first recruiting class for the Illinois football program.

It has been just over a year since Bielema took over the Illini. He had a chance to put some touches on the 2021 class, but he came in when most players were already committed. Bielema’s first chance to shape the Illinois football team was with the class of 2022.

The regular National Signing Day hasn’t taken place, which is this Wednesday, February 2, but Illinois has already signed a solid group of young talent. We continue adding to the class as well, as the Illini received a commitment from Naivyan Cargill on Sunday.

Cargill is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound tight end from Palm Beach Gardens High School and resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. 247Sports doesn’t have him rated or ranked but judging by his size, what he has done against his opponents, and Illinois’ willingness to target the kid, I think Cargill has a bright future.

Naivyan Cargill adds to a deep class of 2022 for the Illinois football team.

Bielema is clearly building the Illinois tight end group. Daniel Barker is leaving via the transfer portal, but we still have a player like Luke Ford ready to step in as the No. 1 tight end. Cargill will now help add depth behind Ford.

Cargill isn’t the only tight end coming in from the 2022 class either. Bielema was able to snag Owen Anderson, a 6-foot-4 New Jersey product, and Henry Boyer, an in-state kid out of Oak Lawn. Targeting three tight ends in 2022 means this Illini offense is about to get down and dirty moving forward.

With the addition of Cargill, Illinois now has 27 new faces coming into the program. 23 of those 27 are coming in as freshmen, two are entering via the junior college route, and Illinois has two incoming transfers.

What I love most about Bielema’s strategy for bringing in new talent is that he isn’t relying on the transfer portal. He uses the transfer portal as a supplement to fill a hole here and there. But the future of Illinois football is being built with a solid foundation of young players who need development. That is how you can have sustained success.

I am excited to welcome in Cargill to the famILLy. The kid has potential, and I can’t wait to see what he can do on the football field.