It seems that the Illinois football team is one step closer to landing more depth for the front lines.
We are heading into the month of November, and the Illini have a total of 15 commits for the class of 2025. This puts us at No. 60 in the country, which is not a number that any fan wants right now.
Even though Illinois isn’t where we want to be nationally in the recruiting rankings, it does seem that we have some momentum. One player who is squarely on the radar for the Orange and Blue is JJ Hirdes.
Hirdes is a 6-foot-5, 275-pound offensive lineman from Coopersville High School in Michigan. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1863 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 135 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 47 player coming out of Michigan.
Illinois offered Hirdes a scholarship back on October 12, which was the same weekend he came to Champaign for a visit. Since then, it seems that the recruitment has progressed, and Illinois looks to be the favorite despite Hirdes still being committed to Western Michigan.
This past Friday, Jeremy Werner of 247Sports submitted a Crystal Ball Prediction for Hirdes. Which team did he predict would land the under-the-radar offensive tackle?
Illinois.
Depth on the offensive line is paramount moving forward for the Illinois football team
No one knows for sure if a player is going to be good coming out of high school. You have five-star recruits who do well and some who flame out. The same can be said for three- and four-star recruits.
Check out my 2023 Junior Szn Highlights!@AllenTrieu @Coach_Kaman https://t.co/5AhrrnRDJA
— Jack “JJ”Hirdes /2025/ 3⭐️ (@hirdesj07) December 6, 2023
If I had to take a bet, I would say Hirdes is a stash-away type of player. He is someone who can come into the Illinois program and develop his body and skills. He won’t need to be used right away, but a couple of years down the road, Illinois can unleash this kid on the Big Ten.
One of the biggest issues for the Illini over the years is quality depth on the offensive line. Sure, we can have a decent starting five, but when you get into the second string, things can go off the rails.
That is why a player like Hirdes is so important. We need talent throughout the roster. If we can get this kid up to speed early on and get him snaps, the sky is the limit. Hopefully, this Crystal Ball Prediction ends up coming true.