Class of 2025 defensive back keeps Illinois football in top 5

Illinois football is looking to add some help in the defensive backfield for the class of 2025.

Bret Bielema and the Illini coaching staff have done a great job building the 2025 class thus far. We have six commitments and have crucial pieces for the future of the program.

Two out of the six commitments have come in the secondary as well. Xanai Scott is a safety who should come in and give the Illini some solid depth early on. Illinois then has Andre Lovett, the highest-rated recruit in the class thus far, coming in at safety. He is a top-800 recruit for the program.

Illinois is looking to add more defensive back help, though. We may be getting that help in the form of Caden Gordon.

On Friday, Gordon took to social media to announce that he has cut his list down to just five teams. The five programs to make his top five included Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, South Florida, Florida State, and Illinois.

Stockpiling defensive back talent is a wise move by the Illinois football team

Gordon would be a solid addition to any of the five teams in his top five. He is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound cornerback from Santaluces Community High School in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1114 player in the class of 2025. Gordon is also the No. 96 cornerback in the country and the No. 158 player coming out of Florida.

As of right now, 247Sports has Florida State and South Florida as “Warm” for Gordon, so they are projected to be in the lead. His only official visit is scheduled for South Florida on June 21 as well.

For being a sub-1000 recruit, I am impressed with Gordon’s scholarship offers. That makes me wonder if the sub-1000 ranking is a bit off.

There is a lot to love about Gordon’s game, but the thing that sticks out to me is his speed. He is someone who can fly around the field and make plays. When he does make a mistake in the secondary, he can make up for it with his speed. With this type of speed, I can see why he has quite a few scholarship offers.

I hope that Illinois can end up landing Gordon. I think he has a chance to be one of those players who is ranked sub-1000 but ends up getting drafted into the NFL. This would be a great get for the program.