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Illinois football in a heated battle as a key recruit narrows list to top 4

Bret Bielema has the Illinois football team recruiting at a high level, and landing this big-time player would help bolster the class of 2027.
ByRees Woodcock|
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Reed Gerken was at Ohio Stadium to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines in an NCAA football game on Saturday Nov. 30, 2024.
Reed Gerken was at Ohio Stadium to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Michigan Wolverines in an NCAA football game on Saturday Nov. 30, 2024. | Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Recruiting momentum is a real thing, and the Illinois football team has that momentum right now.

Over the past week, the Illini have secured two commitments. Mason Halliman and Soren Fifer, both offensive linemen and both top 600 recruits, picked the Orange and Blue over a myriad of other power-four programs. Those two join our four-star commit, Justin Johnson, who will help anchor the defensive secondary in the future.

Clearly, Bret Bielema has been focusing on building the offensive line. Halliman and Fifer are great additions, and now Illinois is one step closer to landing another 2027 offensive lineman.

This past Sunday, Riley Alberts of 247Sports reported that Reed Gerken is down to just four programs. The four teams to make his top list include Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, and Illinois.

All four programs would love to have this commitment. Gerken is a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle from Perrysburg High School in Ohio. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 601 player in the class of 2027. He is also the No. 53 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 23 player coming out of Ohio.

It is impressive to get into Gerken’s top four, as he has over 30 scholarship offers, which include programs like Tennessee, North Carolina, and Arkansas, to name a few.

Gerken has set his official visits as well. He will start with Virginia Tech on May 29. Wisconsin then gets a visit on June 5. Illinois is next on June 12. Kentucky then ends things on June 19.

Back in April, there was a Crystal Ball Prediction submitted in favor of the Wildcats to land Gerken. It is only a six out of 10 confidence, though.

It is possible for the Illinois football team to have an insane haul of offensive line talent in 2027

I said this when Fifer committed to Illinois, and I will say it with Gerken. I love that Illinois is focused on building the offensive line. Having a stockpile of blocking talent will only benefit the program.

Sure, there will eventually be some offensive linemen who hit the transfer portal, but building depth and then seeing who can emerge from that depth would give the Illini stability at the position group.

A Gerken commitment would give Illinois three offensive linemen in the first four commitments. My guess is that someone like Halliman would switch over to guard, but that is purely based on his size at 6-foot-3.5, 275 pounds.

Fifer on one end of the line. Halliman is next to him. And then Gerken at the other tackle position. You are looking at the future of the Illinois football offensive line. Let’s secure this commitment and continue building what is turning into a pretty solid class of 2027.

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