Recruiting for the Illinois football program has seen its ups and downs over the last 10 years.
There have been some big-time recruits commit to the Illini but have flamed out. Meanwhile, some of the lowest-ranked recruits we have signed have turned out to be NFL-caliber talent.
It is so hard to predict recruiting. Illinois has been in some tough recruiting battles to convince players to come play for the Orange and Blue.
Here are the biggest Illinois football recruiting wins of the past decade
OL Kendrick Green (Illinois) – Class of 2017
It was not easy for Illinois to land Kendrick Green in the class of 2017. He was a high-three-star recruit who was ranked inside the top 500 nationally.
There were numerous teams recruiting Green. He took official visits to Minnesota, Iowa, UCF, and Illinois. The Hawkeyes were also favored to land him, but the Orange and Blue came through.
Green was a monster for the Illinois football program. He notched a spot as an All-American and All-Big Ten in his final season. He was also an iron man for the Illini, starting 33 straight games.
After three seasons, Green went into the NFL Draft and was taken in the third round.
DE Bobby Roundtree (Florida) – Class of 2017
There was so much potential with Bobby Roundtree. He wasn’t highly rated coming out of Florida, as he was just a three-star and a sub-1200 recruit in the class of 2017.
Despite his low recruiting ranking, Roundtree had plenty of recruiting attention. He had over 20 scholarship offers, and nearly all of them were from power-four programs. Illinois was able to beat out Indiana, among others, for his commitment.
Roundtree burst onto the scene. He made the Big Ten All-Freshman team and was an All-Big Ten player. Not to mention, in his first two seasons, he started 20 games for Illinois.
This kid was going to be a superstar and a high NFL Draft pick when it was all said and done. He is missed greatly, but he will never be forgotten.
DL Jer’Zhan Newton (Florida) – Class of 2020
One of the greatest players in Illinois history came out of the class of 2020. Jer’Zhan Newton flew under the radar as a three-star recruit and a sub-1000 player coming out of Florida.
Newton had a ton of recruiting attention, though. There were numerous scholarship offers on the table, and Illinois beat out the likes of Maryland, UCF, and Florida State, which all had at least one Crystal Ball Prediction to land Newton.
The ascent of Newton was sharp. He finished his time at Illinois as a two-time All-American, three-time All-Big Ten player, and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a second-round pick in the NFL Draft.
OL Alex Palczewski (Illinois) – Class of 2017
I loved the quiet addition of Alex Palczewski. He was only a three-star recruit and a sub-1200 player in the class of 2017.
The low ranking didn’t deter him, as Palczewski still had some solid recruiting attention. He had a chance to go to some big power-four programs, but he chose Illinois over teams like Syracuse and Vanderbilt.
By the end of his career at Illinois, Palczewski had 65 starts for the program and a spot on an All-American team, and made the All-Big Ten team four times.
DB Devon Witherspoon (Florida) – Class of 2019
The Devon Witherspoon story is pretty crazy. He wasn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but he was still one of the greatest players to ever come through Champaign.
There wasn’t much power-four competition for Witherspoon. When I say wasn’t much, I mean none at all. He did take a look at some lower-level programs, though. South Alabama received an official visit from Witherspoon, but Illinois’ offer was too good to pass up.
Witherspoon went on to have a legendary Illinois career. He was a Consensus All-American and made the All-Big Ten team twice. He then went into the NFL Draft and was selected No. 5 overall.
WR Pat Bryant (Florida) – Class of 2021
Illinois has had plenty of good wide receiver talent over the years, and Pat Bryant was one of the best. He was only a three-star recruit who was sub-1000 nationally in the class of 2021.
Bryant had a ton of recruiting attention, though. With roughly 30 scholarship offers, he had plenty of options. Illinois stood out for this Florida pass catcher, and he committed to the Orange and Blue.
There were plenty of great moments for Bryant throughout his time at Illinois. He finished logging a spot as an All-American and a part of an All-Big Ten team. Bryant then went into the NFL Draft and was picked in the third round.
OLB Gabe Jacas (Florida) – Class of 2022
It is pretty incredible the lack of recruiting love a lot of these recruits received. Gabe Jacas was a big get for Illinois, but he was only a three-star and a sub-1200 recruit in the class of 2022.
Jacas received some recruiting love, but his recruitment was really down to just two teams. While Illinois wanted his services, Tennessee also came calling. He took an official visit to both programs, and the Illini won out.
I was impressed with Jacas’ career at Illinois. He was an instant success, logging a spot on the Freshman All-American team. He was also a three-time All-Big Ten player and was picked in the second round of the NFL Draft.
WR Isaiah Williams (Missouri) – Class of 2019
The last player I want to note about the biggest recruiting wins over the past decade is Isaiah Williams. He was the highest-rated recruit out of everyone, and his commitment was huge. He was a four-star recruit who was ranked inside the top 150 in the class of 2019.
Williams could have literally gone anywhere and played football. Illinois was one of the only programs to allow him to play quarterback, though. Despite offers from teams like Alabama and Clemson, among others, Williams picked Illinois.
Entering the program, Williams was a quarterback. He eventually turned into a wide receiver, and that is when his career took off. He was a two-time All-Big Ten player, and in his final season at Illinois, he had 1,055 yards receiving.
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