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

5. Malik Elzy – 6.5 out of 10

There are a handful of players who can take Illinois football from good to great. Malik Elzy is one of those players, and he is the player we are recruiting the hardest for 2023.

Elzy is a 6-foot-3, 198-pound wide receiver from Simeon High School and resides in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 290 player in the class of 2023. Elzy is also the No. 36 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 4 player coming out of Illinois.

If you look at 247Sports, it looks like the race is down to just two programs. Illinois had an official visit from Elzy back on June 3, and Cincinnati had their official visit on June 17. It seems to be these two teams vying for his commitment, but I am not so sure that is the case.

I do get the feeling, based on a tweet from Elzy, that Michigan might be sneaking into the picture. They have pulled some big-time recruits out of the state of Illinois, so it wouldn’t shock me to see it happen again. This is why I don’t have a higher confidence in landing Elzy.

If I had to guess today, Elzy would pick Illinois. As time goes on without a commitment, it makes me nervous, though. There will be more official visits for Elzy. Look for the Wolverines to be real players in this recruitment.

I want Elzy wearing Orange and Blue. I think he would be an amazing addition to the class of 2023, but Illinois can’t let up here. This kid is a wanted recruit and some big names are showing him attention.