Carson Boyd adds to special start for Illinois football class of 2025

Illinois football continued to build recruiting momentum on Saturday with a big commitment for the future.

The Illini have built a solid class of 2024. Bret Bielema has secured the No. 41 class in the country, and this doesn’t even count the transfer additions. We have brought in seven transfer portal players, mainly coming in the trenches where we needed help the most.

Illinois’ coaching staff has started to shift more focus to the class of 2025. Fittingly, the first player to pledge his commitment to the Illini was on the offensive line. Michael McDonough committed to the Illini last week, and he is ranked as the No. 565 player in the class of 2025.

McDonough is going to be crucial on the Illinois offensive line in the future. He is going to be protecting our newest addition to the Illini 2025 class.

On Saturday, Illinois received a big commitment from Carson Boyd. He had double-digit scholarship offers but ended up picking the Illini over teams like Missouri, Louisville, and Texas A&M, among others.

Carson Boyd adds to an Illinois football quarterback room that is stacked with talent

This was a big commitment for the Illini. Boyd is a 6-foot, 171-pound, quarterback from Cardinal Prep in St. Louis, Missouri. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 536 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 38 quarterback in the country and the No. 6 player coming out of Missouri.

The fact Illinois was able to beat out some big-time programs for Boyd is huge too. The Illini could always use more quarterback talent, and adding Boyd gives us a wealth of talent in the quarterback room.

Boyd is a top 600 player in his recruiting class. That means he is likely a quality quarterback who can compete well at the college level. He joins some talented Illinois quarterbacks already in the program.

Illinois currently has Luke Altmyer, who is a former four-star recruit. He is only a junior entering the 2024 campaign, so he is likely to be our starter for the next two seasons.

Behind Altmyer, Illinois has a couple of solid passers. Cal Swanson was a top 900 recruit in the class of 2023, and Donovan Leary has good quarterback blood, as his brother is standout Devin Leary. These are two good quarterbacks who are waiting for their chance.

Illinois is also bringing in the Mississippi Class 7A Mr. Football from the class of 2024. Trey Petty is a top 800 recruit, and I believe he could easily compete for the backup job in the near future. Petty is a great dual-threat option for the Illini.

The Illini are now bringing in a player like Boyd. This gives Illinois so many options at quarterback. This is a big difference from the previous coaching regime. Bielema has done a great job recruiting, and this ability has continued into the class of 2025.