[CardsFan27]

Quote: Originally Posted by dansaint

Missing out on Harper hurts, but Illinois has to get Ronnie Wingo from East St. Louis. The talk is that Mizzou may lead for him in some sort of package deal with another ESL player. I like Jason Ford for the Illini...but still need more depth at the RB position

Wingo is a guy we need to land definitely, he doesn't go to East St. Louis though so he won't be a package with either of their WRs, Wingo plays for St. Louis University High School.

Mizzou fans seem to think they lead for him but from what I've heard Illinois is ahead of Mizzou for now, Wingo's dad is close with our assistant head coach Reggie Mitchell and Wingo loved watching our offense this year due to he views himself as a RB like Mendenhall. He prefers Illinois run first system to Mizzous pass first, he didn't like how Tony Temple was utilized there.

I like Ford to, watched him quite a bit in high school. Very good runner, good vision but he lacks that extra gear once he gets out into the open field.

Quote: Originally Posted by dansaint

Illinois has 3 verbals for '09: 6'5 340 OG Leon Hill from Chicago Leo 6'3 325 DT Lendell Buckner from Chicago Leo 6'5 245 DE Melvin Fellows from Garfield Hts, Ohio

Great start for our 09 class, Hill is the #45 player in the country by Rivals, Buckner always plays with great energy and just manhandles people, and Fellows looks like a beast on film, if we can hold onto him (talk is he'll be an early enrollee) until December/January I expect he'll be a very good DE for us but it'll be a fight with tOSU still going after him.

Also talk that Ricky Harris 6'2 305 C from Westerville, Ohio should be committing to us in the not too distant future.