College Football

Illinois Football: List of Recent Illini Scholarship Offers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 15, 2016; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith looks on during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The Illinois football team continues to recruit for the future.

It is crucial for Lovie Smith and the Illini to cast a wide net and try to snag some big-time players. This is why there are so many scholarships handed out.

Here is a list of some recent recipients of scholarships from the Illini.

Nick Pickett

3-Star, National: 932, California: 87

Illinois offered a scholarship to athlete Nick Pickett on October 20. He is from Los Angeles, California and right now Oregon and Utah are the top two for him.

Pickett is a 3-star recruit who is the No. 932 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 87 player in the state of California.

Right now, Pickett has some pretty good offers. Most of the ten programs that have offered him are from the west coast, most notably Oregon.

Pickett is 6-foot-2 and weighs 185-pounds. He looks like he would be a good wide receiver at the college level.

The speed Pickett shows on the football field is great. He can fly around the field and is extremely hard to catch.

I also like Pickett’s ability to catch the ball as well. Illinois wide receivers tend to drop the ball too often and having Pickett would be a nice change of pace.

Pickett also played some defensive back at the high school level as well.

On the defensive side of the ball, the player Pickett reminds me most of is Seattle Seahawks safety, Kam Chancellor.

Chancellor is a bigger safety that can put a hit on the opposing wide receivers. I project Pickett doing something similar at the college level.

Sep 3, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Football fans wearing shirts with a message honoring new Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith enjoy activities in Grange Grove before the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Murray State Racers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

Calvin Lockett

N/A, National: N/A, State: N/A

The Illinois football team needs to continue loading up on the wide receivers in the future and that is what they are thinking with the offer to Calvin Lockett.

Lockett isn’t rated by the recruiting sites just yet. He is a bigger wide receiver that will continue to grow with time.

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Right now, Lockett stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 157-pounds. He is from Largo, Florida and I am thinking he will have some big programs after him in a short amount of time.

For being as young as he is, Lockett runs great routes already. He is a quarterback’s dream when it comes to the route tree.

I also love Lockett’s ability to run past the defender. Illinois hasn’t had a wide receiver in a long time that was able to burn a defender for a deep touchdown.

That could all change if they can snag a talented wide receiver like Lockett.

And the final thing I want to note is the size of Lockett. I know I already mentioned it, but man he is huge already and he still has a year and a half of high school left.

Just imagine how big this kid will be once he enters college. This could be a diamond in the rough.

Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; A detailed view of the Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Faoliu

2-Star, National: 2130, California: 176

One of the more recent offers for the Illinois football team was to Austin Faoliu.

Faoliu is a 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle out of Santa Ana, California. He is currently committed to Arizona, but hopefully, Illinois can pull him away from that commitment.

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247Sports lists Faoliu has a 2-star defensive tackle that is rated as the No. 2130 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 176 player in the state of California.

Illinois could be reaching with this offer, but they apparently see a lot of potential in this kid.

I am thinking Faoliu would have to bulk up a little more to play defensive tackle at the FBS level. But, I do think he has the potential to move to defensive end and dominate there, though.

Faoliu has a quick first jump off the line of scrimmage. He can get past the offensive lineman with a nice swim move and get to the quarterback.

Illinois is losing a lot of defensive line help in 2017 and it would be nice to get someone like Faoliu in there to spell some minutes.

I love Faoliu’s motor as well. He never gives up on a play and that is huge for the locker room. When a teammate sees him playing with that much heart it is contagious.

This would be a nice flip for the Illini if they could pull it off.

Nov 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general shot of a Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Soldier Field. Northwestern won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Antonio Gage

NA, National: N/A, State: N/A

The Illinois Fighting Illini was one of two schools to offer Antonio Gage on October 17.

These two scholarship offers were huge in Gage’s mind and he is deciding between either the Illini or Colorado.

Gage isn’t ranked by 247Sports yet but he is a 6-foot, 170-pound wide receiver from Dallas, Texas. He would be an interesting pickup for the Illini in the class of 2018.

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Despite not visiting the campus yet, Illinois decided to offer Gage a scholarship. They really want to load up on the wide receivers for 2018, but that might not be where he will play.

In a discussion with Gage, he told the Writing Illini that he is willing to play any position on the team. Whatever will help the team win games is all that matters to him.

This kid has it all there as far as the mentality goes. He is a team player and that is what the Illini need.

Gage is also pretty fast. They have him clocked at running a 4.45-second 40-yard dash which is pretty solid for a high school athlete.

I also like Gage’s ability to catch the ball on offense and defense. He is a threat on both sides of the ball and that is an asset in the recruiting ranks.

Illinois can always use more playmakers like Gage. He would be an asset to this football team in 2018 and beyond.

Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; A general view of Memorial Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Quentin Lake

3-Star, National: 891, California: 82

Lovie Smith is known for his stout defenses and the players he has developed over time. That is why I am excited about the offer to Quentin Lake.

Lake is a 3-star cornerback from Santa Ana, California. He is ranked as the No. 891 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 82 player in the state of California.

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The big problem for the Illini with Lake’s recruitment is that he is already committed to UCLA for 2017. That is a huge disadvantage for Illinois in this race.

But, flipping Lake to Illinois would be a massive win for Lovie and this Illini defense.

Illinois is very thin at the cornerback position right now and in the future, it will likely be the same unless players like this commit to the program.

Lake has some great ability to play cornerback. He is very aware of his surroundings and that is huge to play at the next level.

I love how Lake can jump on a pass and read where the quarterback is going to throw the ball. This enables him to break up passes or potentially intercept a pass or two.

Lake’s speed is also another great asset he brings to the table. He can keep up wide receivers that are quick and that is a huge advantage for whoever snags him.

If Lovie can pull in Lake that would give the Illini a huge boost and it would be one of the biggest gets for the class of 2017.

Oct 8, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith observes his team in action against the Purdue Boilermakers during the 2nd quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

Jairus Brents

4-Star, National: 182, Kentucky: 1

Another cornerback that Lovie and the Illini offered a scholarship to is Jairus Brents.

Brents is a great player that is wanted by many programs. He is listed as a 4-star recruit who is the No. 182 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 1 player in the state of Kentucky.

There are plenty of teams after Brents services right now. He has 17 scholarship offers with Louisville projected to land him.

But, Illinois might be a serious contender for this talented cornerback.

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Brents was offered a scholarship by the Illini back on October 16, the same day he took an unofficial visit there. It is nice that he has interest enough to visit Champaign.

When it is all said and done I am betting Illinois has some say in where Brents goes. I would put money on the Illini making his ‘top’ list that will be released.

The Illinois football team needs more help at cornerback and that is what Brents would help with.

Brents has many assets that he would bring to the Illini.

I am amazed by the speed that Brents possesses. He can fly around the field and make plays just because he is so quick.

I also like how Brents has the ability to close in on a defender and play press coverage. This is crucial in situations for wide receivers to get slow starts off the line.

If Illinois can snag this caliber of a cornerback, then the defense will be in good hands in the future.

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