Fact or Fiction: Illinois fans should panic after missing on Malik Elzy
Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove along with Timothy O’Halloran of EdgyTim.com, Doug Buschon of OrangeAndBlueNews.com and Zach Libby of MaizeAndBlueReview.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Illinois fans should panic over Malik Elzy's commitment to Cincinnati.
Bucshon's take: FICTION. It’s a reason for concern, but fans shouldn’t go into panic mode yet. Hopefully, the Malik Elzy miss is just a speed bump.
This is a pretty long rebuild that Bret Bielema faces at Illinois, and he and his staff have made in-roads recruiting the program's home state. The Illini competed against an impressive offer list for Elzy and came up just short. It feels like it’s just a matter of time before Bielema starts winning some of these battles. Surprising the prognosticators with a good season on the field this season could give the Illini's recruiting pitch the boost it needs.
That said, losing Elzy to the Bearcats does sting. It's a reminder of where Illinois football stands in the pecking order. The Illini need to break through with a headliner to get over the hump. It’s particularly painful being so close to locking him up after investing a lot of time and effort into the recruitment. Wide receiver is a huge position of need for Illinois, and Elzy is the kind of player who could step in an make an immediate impact. It’s a big swing and miss.
Cosgrove's take: FICTION. The loss of Elzy to Cincinnati definitely hurts Illini, but at the same time it shows how far Illinois has come in their recruiting efforts under Bielema. In recent years Illinois wouldn't even be in contention for the No. 110 prospect in the nation and now the Illini were in it until the very end. Yes, Elzy was considered a must-get prospect for an Illinois team that is in much need of a program changing commitment during their rebuild. As much as his loss hurts, the only thing I see here is their progress on the recruiting trail. With December's signing day being so far away, I highly doubt that Illinois is done in its pursuit of Elzy as well.
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2. Michigan is becoming the standard when it comes to recruiting internationally.
Libby's take: FACT. Europe has become the newest untapped market in college football recruiting. Basketball and hockey have embraced that international vibe to their own respective sports with football soon-to-follow. Even though there’s very limited film available on these overseas prospects and the competition may not be as prolific compared to the United States, finding those diamonds in the rough make it intriguing enough for college coaches to at least evaluate what’s available in countries like France and Germany.
In Michigan’s case, its willingness to take a chance on these undervalued players has resulted in commitments coming onboard less than a month after the offer was extended. Defensive end Ayemric Koumba and 2024 defensive tackle Manuel Beigel were both offered by Mike Elston this past month during the June camp circuit. Hailing from PPI Recruits, an international recruiting service specially tailored to American football, Koumba’s and Beigel’s grassroots approach in getting eyes on them through participating in multiple camps included Elston, who’s known for scooting overseas prospects dating back to his time at Notre Dame. Elston has long established a close relationship with Brandon Collier, the founder of PPI Recruits, who also had a former graduate of his academy sign with Michigan back in 2018 in Julius Welchof.
Another name to possible join Koumba and Beigel as early as the summer is 2024 linebacker Justin Okoronkwo, who has offers from Michigan and Penn State. The rising sophomore is reported to have as strong of interest in the Wolverines as his PPI Recruits teammates. As long as Elston remains on the Michigan staff, expect more PPI Recruits standouts to garner Michigan offers. For the Wolverines to have two European commitments already is merely the start of a new trend that will carry over for the next couple of years or so.
Cosgrove's take: FICTION. While Michigan's international efforts are to be applauded, I'm not ready to say it is setting the standard when it comes to international recruiting. There are a number of schools that have been taking players from outside the United States for years now, and although they were typically specialists with a rugby background, international players are not new to college football. What I would like to give Michigan credit for is identifying and offering players outside of the specialist mode as well as its overall willingness when it comes to offering position players who have not faced a high level of competition compared with American football. Should Michigan continue on its recent trajectory for a couple more recruiting cycles I will be willing to consider it the standard, but as the acceptance of international players becomes the norm, it will face stiff competition when it comes to being labeled the standard.
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3. There will be at least four prospects from Illinois in the top 100 of the next Rivals250 release.
O'Halloran' take: FICTION. This 2024 class is Illinois is talented and has talent spread across several positions. Gone are the days when Power Five programs would cherry pick a handful of monster offensive linemen from Illinois then move on. These days more programs are finding Land of Lincoln prospects possess as much speed and athletic potential as any other state in the country.
In my opinion, defensive tackle Justin Scott is a lock for the top 100 of the Rivals250. Others such as tight end Christian Betancur, receiver Cam Williams along with running back Darrion Dupree are all prospects that should warrant serious consideration this go around.
Others including receiver Marquise Lightfoot plus defensive back I'Marion Stewart and defensive end Eddie Tuerk all have real upside at the next level and in some cases still haven't begun to come close to developing into what they will become at the Power Five level. The state's 2024 class is also loaded with more depth that will continue to impress once film from the 2022 football season begins to roll in.
So for now, I'll say fiction that four Illinois prospects will be in the top 100 of the next Rivals250 rankings for the 2024 class. But sooner than later, I do think four or more names from Illinois will end up crashing that party.
Cosgrove's take: FACT. The talent pool in Illinois is rising and I definitely see at least four Illinois prospects making the cut when our next rankings are released. Illinois already has two top 100 prospects in No. 12 Justin Scott and No. 99 Christian Bentancur. Just outside the top 100 is Notre Dame commit Cam Williams at No. 104, Marquise Lightfoot at No. 114 and Darrion Dupree at No. 117. All of these players have a case to be made when it comes to them being top 100 prospects and they are just a handful of the Illinois talent that will be considered during our next rankings meetings. While nothing is set in stone, I do see Illinois having at least four top 100 prospects in the 2024 class come September.