Illinois football looks to add Indiana recruit, as top target sets commitment date

A big Illinois football recruiting target has set a date for which he will announce his commitment.

The Illini have been close on a few big recruits the last few days, but some of the talented players have gone elsewhere. Illinois still sits with a solid class of 2025, as we rank No. 44 in the country with nine pledges thus far.

That number could easily be growing in the coming weeks, though. There are still plenty of big recruits out there, and one of the top targets, Tyrone Burrus Jr., is looking to make a decision shortly.

Burrus is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound, edge from Warren Central High School in Indiana. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 645 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 50 edge in the country and the No. 8 player coming out of Indiana.

On Tuesday, Burrus took to social media to reveal his plans for his recruitment. He announced that June 28 would be his commitment date. He did not release a time, though.

While there isn’t a top list right now, one would assume the decision will likely come down to the three schools where he took official visits. He visited Illinois on May 31, Louisville on June 7, and he has a visit to Indiana this weekend.

Illinois football is looking to secure more help in one of the outside linebacker roles with the addition of Tyrone Burrus Jr.

I am happy with how the Illinois football team has started the class of 2025. The nine commitments are all solid, but we haven’t addressed the second level of the defense.

Adding a player like Burrus would help, especially in the 3-4 defense Illinois tends to play. We usually have three down linemen, a couple of middle linebackers, and then a couple of outside linebackers who can rush or drop back in coverage. That changes when we go with the nickel defense look, but 3-4 is our tendency.

Burrus fits in perfectly with the type of defense Illinois likes to run. He has the speed off the edge, and at 6-foot-4, he will be able to cover any tight end that comes off the line.

It would be great to add someone like Burrus to the class of 2025. Illinois has addressed the defensive line and the secondary, now let’s add a solid linebacker to keep bolstering the defense.