Illinois Football: Crystal Ball in favor of Illini for 4-star offensive lineman

Don’t look now, but the Illinois football team continues to pick up steam in the recruiting game.

On Sunday night, the big news of Daniel Brown committing to Illinois went down. The JUCO EDGE is one of the best JUCO players in the country and totaled 17.5 sacks this season. He is going to be great for the Illini defense in 2024.

Illinois needs to add to the front lines on the offensive side of the ball, though. The Illini offensive line was one of the weakest spots for the program this past season. We need to bolster this group, and adding a player like Andrew Dennis would help greatly.

Well, also on Sunday night, Illinois might have moved one step closer to landing Dennis. 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Allen Trieu submitted a Crystal Ball Prediction for the talented offensive lineman, and he has Illinois as the favorite to land him with a seven out of 10 confidence.

Dennis would be a massive get for the Orange and Blue. He is a 6-foot-5, 275-pound interior offensive lineman from Mt. Pleasant High School in Michigan. Dennis is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the

No. 159 player

in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 5 interior offensive lineman in the country and the No. 3 player coming out of Michigan.

Michigan State was Dennis’ first official visit back on June 9. He then visited Penn State on November 10, Clemson on November 17, and he just finished up his visit to Illinois this past weekend.

Illinois football would slot Andrew Dennis into the starting rotation from day one

This season was slightly embarrassing for the Illinois offensive line. This is a program that, no matter how bad the team is, we pride ourselves on the offensive line. What we saw this past season was inexcusable.

Illinois should be going through an offensive line overhaul this offseason, though. Julian Pearl, Jordyn Slaughter, and Isaiah Adams are going to be departing.

Josh Kreutz was a solid starting center for the Illini. He will remain as the starter moving forward. Zy Crisler will be back, but he struggled mightily in 2023. I think his job is up for grabs. I think, besides the center job, the other four starting offensive line positions are for anyone to take.

Dennis has a legitimate shot at coming in this upcoming season and starting from day one as a true freshman. Illinois needs help, and he provides that help.

Joining Kreutz and Dennis could end up being Brandon Henderson, who was also a highly touted recruit. I could see Hunter Whitenack getting more playing time. Dezmond Schuster is also a good candidate for a starting job.

Illinois is going to have some solid options for the offensive line in 2024. Dennis would add to the pool, and I think he would be one of the leaders in the clubhouse to start. This would be a huge get for the Orange and Blue.