Beckman does well with first Illinois class

January, 31, 2012
Jan 31
11:52
PM CT

Here’s an in-depth look at Illinois’ 2012 recruit class:

Top prospect - Outside linebacker Tajarvis Fuller received the highest ESPN recruiting grade (79) of Illinois’ recruits. Fuller, who is 6-1 and 197 pounds, had 166 tackles, 76 solo tackles, six sacks, five forced fumbles and two interceptions at Dunbar High School in Florida this past season. He’s been described as a “very active and productive linebacker when defending the past and run.”

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Jason Robertson
Scott Powers, ESPNChicago.comJason Robertson is ranked the 115th-best wide receiver in the nation.

Offensive stars - Illinois is hopeful it has found a future star running back in Dami Ayoola and wide receiver in Jason Robertson. The pair are Illinois’ highest-rated offensive players. Ayoola, who is 5-9 and 200 pounds, is ranked the 32nd running back in the country. Robertson, 5-11, 180-pounder, is ranked the 115th-best wide receiver. Both also come from well-known programs. Ayoola played at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida, and Robertson is from Lincoln-Way East in Illinois.

Kicking replacement - Illinois loses one of the nation’s best kicker in Derek Dimke to graduation, but hopes to replace him with Ryan Frain. Frain, a native of Indianapolis, has the ability to comfortably kick anywhere from 50 yards and in. He made a 63-yarder in practice last season.

Defensive tackle tandem - Teko Powell and Vontrell Williams, two of Illinois’ most highly-touted defensive players, both play defensive tackle and could be a dominant duo down the line for the Illini. Powell, who is 6-2 and 250 pounds, played at Norland in Miami. Williams, is 6-2 and 270 pounds, played at Mount Carmel in Chicago.

Late steal - Northern Illinois thought Devin Church could be a star running back. Illinois had a similar thought and recently began recruiting Church. Last week, he changed his commitment from Northern Illinois to Illinois. The Illini also swayed Lincoln-Way West linebacker/safety B.J. Bello from Western Michigan recently.

ESPNU 150 recruits - This will be only the second Illinois recruiting class since 2007 to not include an ESPNU 150 recruit. The Illini’s 2006 and 2007 classes each had three ESPNU 150 recruits. Illinois freshman tight end Jon Davis was an ESPNU 150 recruit in 2011, and he caught 22 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown during his freshman season.

After coaching change - Since Tim Beckman was hired on Dec. 9, Illinois has received eight of its current 18 commitments. Beckman’s biggest loss was Keith Brown. Brown, who is ranked the 29th-best outside linebacker, was committed to Illinois when Ron Zook was still coach and then decommited after Beckman was hired. Beckman’s greatest addition has been Tyrone Neal, who is ranked the 62nd-best outside linebacker.

Recruiting the country - Illinois’ recruiting class includes a number of states. It has five players from Florida, four players from Illinois and Ohio and one from Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

No quarterbacks - Beckman has recruited an assortment of positions, but he hasn’t added a quarterback to his recruiting class yet. It is a position Illinois shouldn’t have to worry about for at least three years. Nathan Scheelhaase will be a junior next season, and Reilly O’Toole will be a sophomore. Illinois has already offered a number of quarterbacks in the 2013 class, including Bolingbrook’s Aaron Bailey and Maine South’s Matt Alviti.

More to possibly come - Illinois could add a few more recruits in the next week. Edwardsville defensive tackle Vincent Valentine will decide between Florida, Illinois and Nebraska on Wednesday. Crete-Monee defensive back Anthony Standifer, who was previously committed to Michigan, has also mentioned Illinois as a possible destination.

Scouts take - ESPN Midwest recruit analyst Jared Shanker said, “New Illini coach Tim Beckman and his staff were known as arguably the best recruiters at Toledo, and he’s showcasing that recruiting prowess early on at Illinois. Beckman has picked up eight commitments since being named coach and held on to several others who committed to Ron Zook. Teko Powell and Vontrell Williams make for a good tandem at defensive tackle and those big bodies will help free up the four linebackers (five if B.J. Bello moves from safety) committed to the 2012 class."


Scott Powers is a general reporter for ESPNChicago.com. He is an award-winning journalist and has been reporting on preps, colleges and pros for publications throughout the Midwest since 1997.

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