Illinois football trying to get in the mix for Texas rising star

The Illinois football program is always looking to add players, even if they are from hotly contested states.

As far as the Illini class of 2026 goes, we are still holding strong inside the top 30. With the No. 27 class in the country, just a few more additions would help seal the deal as one of the top groups to enter the program in the past couple of decades.

Illinois has also landed its first commitment for 2027. We are bringing in quarterback Kamden Lopati from Utah. He is someone who puts Illinois on the board for 2027 as a four-star recruit. Now, it is time to keep adding to that great class. Someone like Aaron Williams would help.

Williams is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety from Ridge Point High School in Texas. He isn’t rated or ranked just yet, but the scholarships are starting to pile up, which means he is going to be rated fairly high when they are updated. Some of the bigger programs that have already extended him an offer include Houston, Baylor, and Texas Tech, among others.

Illinois football’s defensive back success should be of note when recruiting in the future

This is a great offer by the Illini. Williams is a fierce defensive back who can fly around the field. He is someone who could be inserted into the Illinois depth chart from day one and make an impact.

It won’t be easy to land someone like Williams. Illinois does have the path to the NFL chip, though.

There have been quite a few defensive backs who have gone from Illinois to the NFL since Bret Bielema took over. Players like Devon Witherspoon, Kerby Joseph, Sydney Brown, and Quan Martin are just the most recent examples of Illini succeeding at the next level.

If Illinois can get into this recruitment, it would show the power the coaching staff has. Williams is going to have every southern program after him, so it will be interesting to see if the Illini can make some waves.