The Illinois football team started the weekend off on the right foot by adding another member to the family.
It has been impressive what Bret Bielema has done since becoming the head coach in late 2020. Illinois is recruiting at a level we haven’t seen in over a decade, and the quality of classes is consistent each year.
After a 2023 class that saw the Illini finish in the top 40 nationally, Bielema is looking to land another top-40 group in 2024. Illinois made progress on this goal in the last couple of days by landing another talented defensive player.
On Friday, Josaiah Knight took to social media to announce that he is committing to Illinois. This was a big commitment for the Illini, as Knight was a wanted recruit and had a lot of options.
I’m Home!!🏡 @IlliniFootball @CharlieBullen @BretBielema #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/xSj7qBn3bM
— Josaiah“JoJo” Knight (@josaiah_knight) August 19, 2023
Knight is a 6-foot-3.5, 230-pound EDGE from Gadsden Country High School in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 837 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 55 EDGE in the country and the No. 115 player coming out of Florida.
This wasn’t an easy recruitment for Illinois to win. On May 8, Knight committed to Cincinnati. This looked like the end of his recruitment. On May 30, he would back away from that commitment. That is when Illinois pounced.
Illinois would offer Knight a scholarship on May 31. He then scheduled two official visits. He made a trip to Georgia Tech on June 16. Knight then came to Champaign on June 23.
Knight’s recruitment had been pretty quiet leading up to this weekend. But it looks like the talented EDGE has found a home.
Illinois football is diversifying the talent in the class of 2024
Knight adds another top 1000 recruit to the Illinois class of 2024. We now have the No. 42 ranked recruiting class in the country, which is close to the goal of having back-to-back top 40 classes.
I love how Illinois is snagging a wide range of recruits as well. The top six commitments for 2024 all play different positions. We have a running back, offensive tackle, wide receiver, defensive lineman, cornerback, and tight end among those top six.
Overall, Illinois has eight different positions pledged for 2024. That is an impressive span of talent. The coaching staff also knows we are about to lose a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Eight out of the 18 commitments for 2024 are on the defensive side of the ball. We need defensive bodies, and Bielema is delivering.