Illinois football edging closer to landing talented Florida defensive back

As you can see from the game against Oregon, the Illinois football team needs some help in the secondary.

Honestly, I don’t mind what the Illini put out on the field when it comes to defensive backs. We have a nice starting rotation and they are all going to be back in 2025.

Adding to that defensive backfield is a priority, though. Illinois could always use more talent in this unit, and landing a player like Tywan Cox would go a long way in fortifying Aaron Henry’s defense.

Cox is a 5-foot-11, 165-pound safety from Northwestern High School in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 806 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 69 safety in the country and the No. 105 player coming out of Florida.

As of right now, Cox is committed to South Florida. He has been committed to the Bulls since late June. But just over a week ago, Illinois came in with a scholarship offer. The recruitment has progressed quickly since then.

This weekend, the recruitment will go to the next level. Illinois has landed an official visit with Cox. This visit and the quickness of the recruitment have the Illini in the driver’s seat right now for this talented defensive back.

In fact, there is now a Crystal Ball Prediction submitted for Cox. Jeremy Werner of 247Sports, with a confidence of six out of 10, has predicted that Illinois will land the safety.

Illinois football has a great stable of defensive backs, and Tywan Cox would only strengthen the depth

It is quite impressive the depth Bret Bielema has built up in the Illinois secondary. We have 20 defensive backs on the roster right now, and only two of those defensive backs are seniors. Those two seniors hardly get snaps too.

Starters like Miles Scott, Xavier Scott, Torrie Cox Jr., etc. are all coming back. Cox would be added to that roster, and he wouldn’t have to contribute big snaps early on. He can develop and hone his skills so that, in 2026, he can come out and be a primary backup or even a starter.

Landing Cox would be huge for the Illini. He isn’t just a solid recruit, but he is a top 1000 talent, and that is what I focus on. I want more and more of those top 1000 recruits. When we stack talent, we win games. Let’s land Cox and continue building.