Illinois football is now targeting a talented pass-catcher who has some big-time recruiting interest.
Over the years, the Illini have not been known for dominating tight end play. You will be hard-pressed to find a tight end who has been a focal point of the Illinois offense since Ken Dilger back in 1994.
Those tides could be turning, though. The Illini seem to be putting more focus on the tight end position, and one of the most recent scholarship offers is to tight end Brody Lennon.
Lennon is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end from Gilmour Academy in Ohio. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 903 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 50 tight end in the country and the No. 42 player coming out of Ohio.
After a great phone call with @RobbyDischer I am blessed to say I have received my 18th Division 1 offer from Illinois!!! @IlliniFootball @GALancerAD @GALancerFB @CoachTomKaufman @GALancerS_C @Rivals @247Sports @Mark__Porter @AllenTrieu pic.twitter.com/I4rGqGPHCv
— Brody Lennon 3⭐️ (@brody_lennon) April 3, 2024
Don’t let the recruiting rankings fool you, Lennon is a wanted recruit and a big-time talent. On Tuesday, he took to social media to announce he had received a scholarship offer from Illinois. In addition to the Illini, Lennon also has offers from teams like Penn State, Kentucky, and Virginia Tech, to name a few of his roughly 16 offers on the table.
The tight end room continues to grow with Bret Bielema leading the Illinois football program
Lennon has everything you want in a tight end. He has a nice big body that can fend off defenders. I love his athletic ability and motor. Lennon’s hands are also a huge bonus. He is definitely a catching tight end who is an end zone magnet.
Check Out my Junior Highlights!!
— Brody Lennon 3⭐️ (@brody_lennon) January 5, 2024
2nd Team All Ohio
1st Team All-District
1st Team News Herald All-stars@CoachTomKaufman @CoachBrianMetz @coachhallett @CoachJohnHauser @TylerBarnesIOWA @CoachPlungasRMU @GALancerAD
https://t.co/guYIXHMoKR
Landing Lennon might be a tough task. 247Sports has Penn State, Kentucky, and Pittsburgh as the leaders for the tight end right now. Lennon is also set to visit Pittsburgh and Kentucky on June 6 and June 14, respectively.
The addition of Lennon would be great for the Illinois tight end room, though. We are building this grouping out. After losing leading tight end Tip Reiman to the NFL Draft, and possibly his quest to prove birds aren’t real (Google: Tip Reiman birds), Illinois was able to reload the tight end room.
Illinois snagged Cole Rusk out of the transfer portal. He had 39 receptions for 512 yards and six touchdowns last season with Murray State. I imagine he starts for the Illini in 2024.
There should also be a battle for the backup job behind Rusk. I think Tanner Arkin, Griffin Moore, and Henry Boyer are probably the main candidates for that spot.
I am excited to see what the tight end position looks like for Illinois this season. Continuing to build on the tight end room for 2025 and beyond is a smart move by the Illini coaching staff. Landing Lennon would go a long way in achieving this goal.