Illinois Football: Illini in top 10 for 4-star wide receiver

Illinois football has been laying the foundation when it comes to recruiting the class of 2023.

The 2022 class ended up being a pretty good unit, ranking No. 46 in the nation. This is tied with the highest-ranked Illini recruiting class since the last years of Ron Zook. To be exact, the last class to rank higher than the 2022 group is the class of 2011.

While a recruit hasn’t committed to the class of 2023 just yet, there is some momentum building with numerous players. One of the recruits who is eyeing the Illini is Williams Fowles.

Fowles is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver from Dade Christian School and resides in Hialeah, Florida. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 300 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 39 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 58 player coming out of Florida.

On Tuesday, despite having roughly 18 scholarship offers, Fowles decided to narrow the scope of his recruitment. He ended up cutting his list to just 10 teams. The 10 programs still vying for his commitment include Michigan State, South Florida, Florida, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Florida State, Tennessee, Central Florida, Pittsburgh, and Illinois.

Illinois football needs more playmakers like Fowles on the roster.

It is fun watching the highlights of Fowles on the football field. The kid is amazingly quick and can make huge plays after he catches the ball. He is like a guard who can create his own shot. Just get the ball to Fowles and let him do work.

The Illinois wide receiver corps is going to look almost completely different than what we have seen in years past.

Isaiah Williams does return, and he is a budding superstar. I also want to see what Brian Hightower can do with a solid quarterback. I am not forgetting about Casey Washington either. I think he has NFL potential.

But we have had so many transfer wide receivers this offseason. Dalevon Campbell, Desmond Dan, Deuce Spann, Marquez Beason, Jafar Armstrong, Donny Navarro III, and Carlos Sandy have all departed. It is sad to see all of those players leave, but this also signifies a new era of Illinois football.

Fowles would get a solid chance to come in and make an impact on the Illini in year one. Williams and Washington will still be around in 2023. They will be our top two wide receivers. Bret Bielema was also able to bring in five wide receivers from the 2022 class. I think Eian Pugh and Shawn Miller are two guys who can make an impact early for the Illini in that group.

Bielema and his coaching staff are reworking the Illinois offense. This needed to happen considering we have had one of the worst offenses in the country for over a decade now. We are bringing in a great group of pass-catchers this season. Hopefully, the Illini can continue making up ground and eventually secure a commitment from Fowles in the near future.