Illinois football secures official visit from top Indiana defensive lineman

Bret Bielema has done a good job helping the Illinois football program adapt to the transfer portal.

The Illini lost all three starting defensive linemen from the 2023 squad. That is a lot of talent to lose, especially considering one of the players was an All-American.

Bielema had to patch together a solid defensive line, and I believe he did a great job this offseason. He was able to get players who will help the program this season. Illinois has also been targeting defensive linemen in future recruiting classes.

One player to keep an eye on is Isaiah White. He is a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman from Ben Davis High School in Indiana. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1016 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 98 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 17 player coming out of the state of Indiana.

White has a lot of recruiting attention, but some teams seem to be standing out. 247Sports has Boston College and Washington as the two favorites right now, as they have the “Warm” status. On3.com, on the other hand, has Illinois as the favorite to land White at 64.8% confidence, which changed just a couple of weeks ago.

The official visit schedule seems to be set for White as well. He starts things off with Louisville on May 31. White’s next visit is to Illinois on June 7. He finishes with Boston College and Washington on June 14 and June 21, respectively.

Illinois football target Isaiah White reminds me of a recent Illini NFL Draft pick

White is a wrecking ball for Ben Davis. He has a great explosion off the line of scrimmage, and the way he sheds offensive linemen is fun to watch.

I like the fact that White has the ability to take on multiple blockers in a play. He has the ability to work around those offensive linemen and get to the ball carrier. When they don’t double or triple team White, they immediately regret it as well. When I watch this kid play, he reminds me a lot of Jer’Zhan Newton.

I love the future of the Illinois defensive line. The 2024 version is a little new, as we had to patch together some talent from around the country, but moving forward, we are going to have a solid defensive line.

Dennis Briggs Jr., Gentle Hunt, and TeRah Edwards are gone after this season. Enyce Sledge and Alex Bray will then step up into a leadership role in 2025 as juniors. What I like the most about the defensive line is the young talent.

Eddie Tuerk is going to be a really good player for this program. Demetrius John and Angelo McCullom will both be impact players early on too. I can’t wait to see what Jeremiah Warren brings to the Illini this season. All four players are freshmen too.

When you add in White, that makes for one dangerous defensive line. Illinois is building some nice young depth in this unit. White would be a great addition, and this is a big official visit coming up.