Illinois Football: June 3-5 official visit list for the Illini

It is the month of June, and that means it is make or break time for the Illinois football team when it comes to recruiting.

There are numerous big-time official visits happening for the Illini this month. They all start this weekend. It is up to Bret Bielema and his coaching staff to show these recruits that Champaign is the place to be. Hopefully, a commitment will follow in the coming weeks.

Here is the June 3-5 official visit list for the Illinois football team.

• Kaden Feagin – Running Back – Committed

• TJ McMillen – Offensive Lineman – Committed

• Zachary Aamland – Offensive Lineman – Committed

Three out of the four committed recruits for 2023 are visiting this weekend. Just because they are committed doesn’t mean Illinois can just forget about showing them attention. This is a big weekend for these three recruits.

• Jyaire Hill – Cornerback

There are some great in-state recruits still left on the board. Jyaire Hill is one of those recruits, as he is a four-star recruit. The Kankakee native has every team in the country after him, but the fact Illinois landed an official visit is important. I think Michigan is a strong player here, but let’s show Hill Champaign is the right fit.

• Malik Elzy – Wide Receiver

Illinois could use wide receiver help, and Malik Elzy would be a great option. Elzy is a four-star out of Chicago. It seems that the Illini have been involved and one of the frontrunners for a while in this recruitment. I am hoping we can get a commitment out of Elzy in the next month or so.

• Deakon Tonielli – Tight End

The Illini coaching staff did an amazing job getting in-state recruits to visit the program. Deakon Tonielli is someone who has emerged recently. He is a high three-star tight end out of Oswego. It looks like Illinois is his first official visit, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Michigan involved here. It seems that they are getting the most attention from Tonielli. This is a chance for Illinois to be a permanent fixture in his recruitment, though.

• Saboor Karriem – Safety

Some recruitments are harder to read than others. Saboor Karriem is a safety from West Orange, New Jersey who is visiting Champaign this weekend. This is his first official visit thus far, but more are sure to come. I don’t have too good of a grip on this recruitment, but Illinois has been able to pull recruits from the New Jersey area. Don’t be shocked if we can win this one too.

• Fredrick Moore – Wide Receiver

St. Louis hasn’t been as big of a focus with the current Illinois coaching staff, but they are still eyeing some big-time recruits from that area. Wide receiver Fredrick Moore is one of those players. The plans for Moore are pretty much laid out. He took an official visit to Rutgers last weekend and will follow up the trip this weekend to Illinois with stops at Michigan and Michigan State. The Wolverines scare me in this recruitment. They have a lot of power, and Moore has been quoted as saying he was “speechless” over the offer from Michigan.

• Jamarrion Harkless – Defensive Lineman

There aren’t too many clues about where Jamarrion Harkless might land with his commitment. But Illinois is one of two programs to get an official visit from the Lexington, Kentucky native. He is taking a trip to Louisville two weekends from now. Harkless’ recruitment seems like it is leaning towards Louisville, but everything is speculation at this point. If Illinois blows him away this weekend, then we could pull ahead. I think the Cardinals are the team to beat here, though.

• Pat Farrell – Edge Rusher

Illinois has been favored for edge rusher Pat Ferrell for a while now. Honestly, I haven’t been given a reason to think otherwise. The Illini is his only official visit at this point, and it seems that we are probably in the lead as well. I would be shocked if we can’t land Farrell. In my opinion, I could see a commitment soon after the visit.

• Rico Jackson – Offensive Lineman

Another relatively new name to the Illinois official visit list is Rico Jackson. He is a monster offensive lineman out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Jackson is a three-star recruit, and Illinois landed his first official visit. There will be more to come, though. His recruitment has blown up as of late. I don’t expect a commitment to come anytime soon. With the offer list Jackson is piling up, he will need to take his time and evaluate everything. But, hopefully, Illinois can be convincing enough to get him to come back to Champaign.

• Cal Swanson – Quarterback

Illinois has recently been favored to land quarterback, Cal Swanson. The Ardmore, Oklahoma native recently received an offer from the Illini and already wanted to take an official visit. This recruitment is moving quickly, and I would guess a commitment comes shortly after this weekend. Look for Illinois to add to their quarterback depth relatively soon.

• Brandon Henderson – Offensive Lineman

The final player on the list of official visits is Brandon Henderson. He is an offensive lineman out of East St. Louis. The three-star will visit Illinois this weekend and Iowa State on June 17. I get the vibes that the Illini are in the lead here and it is our recruitment to lose. Adding Henderson to the offensive line would be big for the program.