Illinois Football: Illini could get another shot at a top target for 2023

Illinois football might be back in the hunt for a recruit who was high on the program just months earlier.

The Illini class of 2023 is forming into a solid unit, as the expectations coming off a top 50 class in 2022 are quite high. I would argue the 2023 class needs to be another top 50 group if Illinois wants to win on a consistent basis in the future.

As of right now, Illinois has the No. 57 class in the country for 2023. This class includes five top 1000 recruits and one top 500 player coming into the program. But it looks like Bret Bielema and his coaching staff now have a second chance at a recruit who could help boost the class of 2023.

On Monday, Jason Duclona took to Twitter to announce that he has decided to reopen his recruitment. This is a big reopening for the Illini.

Duclona is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound athlete from Estero High School in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 768 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 68 athlete in the nation and the No. 117 player coming out of Florida.

Illinois football was a top choice for Jason Duclona the first time around.

Back on June 10-12, Duclona took an official visit to Rutgers. That visit went so well that on June 14, he decided to end his recruitment and commit to the Scarlet Knights.

Before Duclona made his commitment, he was also scheduled to take an official visit to Illinois the following weekend, June 17-19. That visit was clearly canceled once he made his decision to commit to Rutgers.

Now that the recruitment has been reopened, I would imagine Illinois is in the mix for Duclona. We were one of his top choices the first time around, so there is a strong likelihood that the Illini will be in the mix this time as well.

I believe Duclona would come into the Illinois football program as a cornerback. This would be exciting for the Illini for many reasons.

Duclona would get some great coaching with Illinois. Just look at what defensive coordinator Ryan Walters and the staff have done with the Illini defense. We are shutting teams down, and the secondary has been a big reason for the success. Illinois’ coaching staff is sending defensive backs to the NFL and elevating them at the college level.

Illinois is also stacking the secondary with more and more young talent. We have the core in place right now, but the class of 2023 would then bring Duclona in at cornerback. He would join players like Zachary Tobe, Kenari Wilcher, and Jaheim Clarke who are going to play safety for the Illini. Illinois’ secondary is going to be so deep in the coming years.

My hope is that Illinois is immediately in the mix for Duclona this time around. Bielema and his staff have a chance to secure another top 1000 recruit. This will, hopefully, play out in the favor of the Orange and Blue.