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Bret Bielema trying to help the Illinois secondary via the Sunshine State

It is tough to land big-time recruits, but the Illinois football program has eyes set on a quality cornerback from Florida
ByRees Woodcock|
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Oct 30, 2010; Champaign, IL, USA; A detailed view of the Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the pre-game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images
Oct 30, 2010; Champaign, IL, USA; A detailed view of the Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the pre-game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images | Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images

Florida is a vast recruiting land, and the Illinois football program is trying to take advantage of the sprawling talent.

The Illini have done a lot of focusing on the offensive side of the ball for the class of 2027. Quarterback Kamden Lopati has already committed, and we have targeted numerous wide receivers and talent across the board.

A defensive player I would love for Illinois to pull in is Trezavant Boyd. On Tuesday, Boyd took to social media to announce that he has locked in an official visit to Illinois. He will be visiting Champaign on June 19.

Boyd is a 5-foot-10, 150-pound cornerback from Mater Academy Charter in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 419 player in the class of 2027. He is also the No. 39 cornerback in the country and the No. 41 player coming out of Florida.

While Illinois is one of his official visits, the talented defensive back has roughly 14 scholarship offers on the table right now. He has also locked in a visit to UCF the weekend before he makes his way to the Orange and Blue.

There might be room for Trezavant Boyd to get early snaps in the Illinois football secondary

It will be interesting to see what talent is around in 2027 for the Illini. We had a ton of turnover in the defensive backfield after the 2025 campaign concluded, so we don’t have a great deal of young depth.

Deuce Fillmore is coming in from the transfer portal, but he is going to be a senior, I believe. Torrie Cox Jr. is gone, as he was a senior in 2025.

Illinois will also lose Juice Clarke after the 2026 season. The only player who will still be with the program when 2027 rolls around is Tanner Heckel.

What that means to me is that Boyd will have a clear runway to compete for a starting job from day one. I am not sure any other program on his list can offer that. Illinois has a legitimate chance to land this kid.

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