Prima face, the very first Lovie Smith Illini football class is a single or a double. However, when you look at the class in the broader context, and consider all the obstacles, the class is a home run. In the 24/7 Sports recruiting index, they finished 44th, up 29 spots from last season.
Rivals has them 46th, and Scout has some very high hopes, take a look:
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/826901558944215040
While no one would put this class anywhere near your Alabamas and Ohio States, it’s certainly a big step in the right direction, and it’s phenomenal all things considered. Lovie inherited a dumpster fire situation that included depleted depth due to key defenders transferring out of the program. He also was hired so late in the cycle that he had less time to work with.
His first true FULL Illini football recruiting class will actually be a year from now. His team went 3-9, and did so in a dreadfully unentertaining manner. That, my friends, is very hard to sell. On top of all that, he had to listen to everybody with an opinion and a platform question his ability and desire to recruit, because he was such “a NFL guy.”
Maybe that last point worked in his favor actually, because Smith is a very competitive guy and perhaps the doubt was motivating.
“We are very excited about this recruiting class as it firmly sets the foundation for Fighting Illini football moving forward,” Smith said in a statement sent out by the Illini football program. “Our staff did an outstanding job identifying young men who fit our culture and fill position needs.”
The class includes 10 players from the state of Illinois, seven from Florida and three from the St. Louis area. The 10 in-state signees equal the most in a single class since 2003, which had 15 (the 2004 and 2007 classes also had 10 players from the state), according to the school.
“It’s tough in-state and tough when you have to cross borders,” recruiting guru Tom Luginbill said to the Tribune.
“It’s a pretty good class from a top-heavy perspective. They really addressed the defensive front seven and some needs in terms of speed and explosiveness on offense.”
So, where will the instant impact come from next season? Obviously 2017 Illini football has a ton of work to do in order to avoid another disaster like 2016 was. Writing Illini, on the FanSided network lists out the top five instant impact recruits for you over at this link.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and Bold, contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication, CGTN America, WGN CLTV News and KOZN.
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