Illinois Football: Illini receive Crystal Ball Prediction for 2023 lineman

Top 1000 recruits seem to be a trend for the Illinois football team, and they could be adding to that trend shortly.

On Saturday, the Illini added to their class of 2023 with a commitment from offensive lineman, TJ McMillen. This was a big addition for the Illini, as McMillen gave the program their third top 1000 recruit. After his pledge, the Orange and Blue now sits with the No. 47 ranked class for 2023.

But Illinois might not be done adding players in the month of May. While McMillen was a nice pick-up for the Illini, we possibly could be in for another commitment shortly.

This past Friday, Jeremy Werner of 247Sports put in a Crystal Ball Prediction for Dante Barone. The confidence of the prediction is a six out of 10, so there is some hesitancy there, but it is a prediction for the talented defensive lineman to land in Champaign.

Barone would be a great get for Bret Bielema and the Illini. He is a 6-foot-3, 245-pound defensive lineman from The Hun School and resides in Princeton, New Jersey. He is rated as a

three-star recruit

and ranked as the No. 953 player in the class of 2023. Barone is also the No. 107 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 17 player coming out of New Jersey.

Adding a player like Dante Barone would show the reach of the Illinois football coaching staff.

Barone is a top 1000 recruit, and if he commits to the Illini, he would give us our fourth commitment, all of which are in the top 1000. That would be an impressive start for the Orange and Blue in 2023.

A commitment from Barone would also show the great reach the Illinois coaching staff has when it comes to recruiting. The last coach I could remember who had a wide reach, especially to the northeast, was Ron Zook. He could pull recruits out of the Washington D.C. area, and this helped the program tremendously.

I am hoping that is what Bielema is building with the Illini. I want to win the state of Illinois recruits, and we are doing that right now. The three players who are pledged for 2023 are all in-state recruits. But I also want the coaching staff to be able to reach far and wide for talented players. A commitment from Barone would show that this coaching staff can pull from anywhere.

Even though there is a Crystal Ball Prediction in favor of the Illini, there is still a long way to go to secure a commitment. Barone is taking his official visit to Champaign on the weekend of June 17. This will be the opportunity to show what the program is all about.