Illinois Football: Another defensive player schedules Illini official visit

Over the last couple of days, the Illinois football team has started to lock in official visits.

On Wednesday, two solid defensive linemen announced that they had plans to take an official visit to Champaign. Landing these two recruits would be big for the program, as the Illini will need help up front in the next couple of years.

A focus for the Orange and Blue should be on the secondary as well. Illinois is about to send Devon Witherspoon, Sydney Brown, Quan Martin, and, potentially, Kendall Smith to the NFL Draft. That is an amazing haul of defensive backs, but it also means the Illini will be depleted in the secondary.

For the class of 2024, Illinois needs to work on secondary depth. Someone like Vernon Woodward would help build out the defensive backfield for the Illini.

Just a day after the Illini landed two official visits on the defensive line, Woodward announced on his social media page that he would also be taking an official visit to Champaign. He is scheduled to come to town June 9-11.

Vernon Woodward has the size to be an immediate impact in the Illinois football secondary

Woodward is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound, cornerback from University High School in Florida. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports just yet, but he does have some big programs eyeing him. Woodward already has offers from teams like Purdue, Louisville, Indiana, and Illinois.

I’m actually pretty confused about why Woodward isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports. When I watch him play, I instantly think this kid is going to be a star and will probably see starts early in his sophomore season if not his freshman year.

Even before I watch him play, I love his size. At 6-foot-2, Woodward has a nice big frame that can shut down wide receivers. His size also enables him to go up and get 50-50 balls. But, beyond that, everything else is also impressive about his game.

Woodward has tremendous speed. He can close in on a ball carrier well. I love how he puts pads on the ball whenever he tackles. When I watch him, he gives me strong vibes of Devon Witherspoon 2.0. Witherspoon was also not rated or ranked, and he is about to be a top 15 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

It is exciting to see Illinois getting an official visit from Woodward. A few years from now, don’t be shocked if Woodward is an All-Big Ten caliber cornerback.