Illini Football Needs To Draw More Local Talent

TBToday’s column from CBS Chicago

(CBS) It’s been a week of daffy tantrums, quarterback defections and assistant coaching suspensions for Illinois football.

But it’s also been a week of recruiting.

Pretty solid recruiting, at that – especially by recent Illini standards.

With a late flourish on Wednesday morning, Illinois climbed the rankings to snare the Big Ten’s sixth-rated class according to Scout, 247Sports and Rivals. Those three recruiting services also had the Illini rated at Nos. 36, 45 and 46, respectively, on a national scale.

There was another noteworthy development too, from my vantage point: a quote from a local product that stood out the most this week amid all the signing day hubbub.

After becoming one of Illinois’ late signees early on Wednesday, three-star defensive lineman prospect Jamal Milan of Chicago Al Raby was asked by the Champaign News-Gazette why he picked Illinois over Minnesota, Indiana and Iowa State.

“Why wouldn’t I want to play for my home state?” Milan told the newspaper. “That’s pretty amazing for me.”

Continue reading at CBSChicago.com

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