Illinois Football: Illini coaching staff sees potential in 2023 recruit

There are still a few more players to land for 2023, and the Illinois football program is going to make sure this is a full recruiting class.

I have been pretty impressed with the way the Bret Bielema regime has recruited. He has brought in one class thus far and it was ranked inside the top 50 nationally. Now the Illini are trying to finish off the class of 2023 with another top-50 ranking.

Illinois should be able to finish inside the top 50 with the number of big-name recruits still left on the board. But one recruit who is flying under the radar right now who the Illini have eyes on is Judah Mallette.

Mallette is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver from Hope College Prep in Illinois. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but on Tuesday, the Illini came in with Mallette’s second scholarship offer. The other offer is from Iowa.

Illinois football sees the potential in Chicago’s Judah Mallette.

While Mallette’s name doesn’t jump off the page, and some Illinois fans might be worried that he isn’t rated or ranked for the class of 2023, I think there is a lot of upside with his game.

First off, I love Mallette’s size. At 6-foot-2, 180-pounds, he should be able to use his size to make catches and win battles with defenders. But there is a lot more to love about his game than just his size.

The ability of Mallette to go up and get the ball is phenomenal. He has great hands, and this enables the quarterback to throw anywhere in his general direction. I think Mallette could be a dangerous player in college just purely based on his ability to catch the ball.

I think Mallette’s speed is also impressive. He is quick off the line, and this lets him get into his route quicker. He is a quarterback’s dream as a wide receiver.

Illinois offering Mallette a scholarship is a good move. He might not have stars next to his name, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a star on the football field. Just ask Devon Witherspoon.