In-state speedster recruit has the attention of the Illinois football program

Illinois football is slowly trying to build the foundation for the class of 2027.

It took the Illini until November 2024 to snag the first class of 2026 commit. That first domino to fall was quarterback Michael Clayton, who recently announced he was locked into his Illinois commitment.

That means there is plenty of time for Bret Bielema to create relationships and land recruits. But laying that foundation is key. That is why targeting someone like Laron Baker Jr. is important.

This past Sunday, Baker took to social media to announce that he had received a scholarship offer from Illinois.

Baker is a 5-foot-10, 172-pound wide receiver from East St. Louis High School in Illinois. He isn’t rated or ranked just yet, but the class of 2027 product has roughly 18 scholarship offers on the table right now.

The offer list is starting to become pretty impressive for Baker, too. In addition to the Illini, he has offers from teams like LSU, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Michigan State, to name a few.

Illinois football has succeeded with a player like Laron Baker Jr. in the past

I love the way Baker plays the game. He seems very calculated with his decisions in the secondary. Baker can lull defensive backs to sleep and then take off and burn them deep.

Baker does a great job finding space, too. This comes from his great route-running ability and crisp breaks.

When I watch Baker, he reminds me of a more polished version of Isaiah Williams from a few years ago. Illinois’ offense did well with Williams at wide receiver, and having another similar player to Williams but better would be great.

Illinois was smart to get into this sweepstakes. Baker is going to be a top 500 recruit when he gets evaluated, and I want him to play in Champaign.