Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Football: Confidence rating for Illini recruiting targets in the class of 2023

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 02: The Illinois Fighting Illini helmet on the field after a win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 02: The Illinois Fighting Illini helmet on the field after a win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Illinois football
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – SEPTEMBER 25: An Illinois Fighting Illini helmet is seen during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on September 25, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Illinois football is tracking to have back-to-back top 50 recruiting classes in 2023.

It has been a while since the Illini could put together two really good recruiting classes. Usually, we have one good class and then drop off the following year. Bringing in consistently high-level talent is how we can start making bowl games year after year.

Bret Bielema has done well compiling talent for the class of 2023. As of right now, the Illini have the No. 43 ranked class in the country with the possibility of adding more top-level talent.

Here is my confidence rating for Illinois football targets in the class of 2023.

1. Jyaire Hill – 9 out of 10

One of the biggest recruits still left on the board for the Illinois football team is Jyaire Hill. He is a defensive back who could really help the Illini win a lot of games in the near future.

Hill is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback out of Kankakee High School and resides in Kankakee, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 162 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 15 cornerback in the nation and the No. 2 player coming out of Illinois.

Like quite a few recruitments that will follow this one, Illinois is in the mix with roughly one other program from Hill’s commitment. It seems that Michigan is the other team that is up there for potentially landing Hill.

Illinois had the first official visit from Hill back on June 3. Michigan followed closely behind with an official visit on June 10. Michigan does have a Crystal Ball Prediction to land Hill, but that was back in December 2021. The momentum has changed a lot since then.

Back on June 21, the publisher for the Maize and Blue Review, Josh Henschke, changed his prediction on Rivals from Michigan to Illinois. This is an amazing sign for the Illini that we could end up landing Hill.

I don’t think we can ease up on giving Hill a ton of recruiting attention, though. Michigan has some insane recruiting power. I don’t think Hill will make a decision anytime soon, but Illinois needs to keep on him. This would be a great addition to the team. I think Illinois is in the driver’s seat right now.

Home/Illinois Football Recruiting