Commitment Predictions: Part 1
Dominic Lovett Dominic Lovett 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR East St. Louis | 2021 State IL , WR, East St. Louis: IL Overall Rank #2 Prediction: Missouri Rationale The Tigers have long been connected to Lovett since the commitment of…
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Continue ReadingDominic Lovett Dominic Lovett 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR East St. Louis | 2021 State IL , WR, East St. Louis: IL Overall Rank #2
Prediction: Missouri
Rationale
The Tigers have long been connected to Lovett since the commitment of his teammate Tyler Macon Tyler Macon 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB East St. Louis | 2021 State IL . I think they’re the favorite right now, for a few reasons. Number one: proximity to home. Missouri’s campus is only two hours from home, making it easy for his family to come and watch home games. Number 2: East St. Louis has a long history of players choosing to head to Columbia, Missouri. Five-star defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. in 2016 turned down every school in the country to play for the Tigers. Number three: Head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The people I’ve spoken to have raved about Drinkwitz’s offensive mind & his relentless nature in recruiting. I think Lovett has taken notice of both of those, and when he does make a decision, it’s my belief that it will be the tigers.
Justin Johnson Justin Johnson 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Edwardsville | 2021 State IL , RB, Edwardsville: IL Overall Rank #5
Prediction: Michigan State
Rationale
Of late, I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz around the West Virginia Mountaineers as the favorite for Justin Johnson Justin Johnson 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Edwardsville | 2021 State IL . Their fans have expressed their desire for Illinois’ top back all over twitter & have shown him a ton of love. However, West Virginia’s offense is more of a wide-open offense that likes to sling the rock. Last year, their two leading rushers combined for only 206 carries. Michigan State has a long history of great college backs & Mel Tucker being a defensive-minded coach, I think believes you have to run the football. Last fall, when he was at Colorado, their leading rusher had 185 carries, and his back up had 107 carries. I think being one of the top backs in the country, Johnson will want the rock and want it early, and I believe he’ll get exactly that at MSU.
Ryan Keeler Ryan Keeler 6'5" | 250 lbs | DL Nazareth | 2021 State IL , OL, Nazareth: IL Overall Rank #8
Prediction: Michigan
Rationale
One name that keeps popping up in Keeler’s recruitment is the Rutgers Scarlett Knights. Rightfully so, Head coach Greg Schiano is back at the helm and already has put together a fantastic recruiting class in his first spring back on campus. They’ve made a huge commitment to football at Rutgers & the future looks very bright. However, I think the lore of Michigan football and the influence of former teammate and current Michigan commit J.J. McCarthy will come into play. Michigan has a long, storied history of producing talented offensive lineman and getting them to the next level. The proximity of his home to Ann Arbor, I think, will play a part as well.
Enrique Cruz Jr. Enrique Cruz Jr. 6'6" | 260 lbs | OL Willowbrook | 2021 State IL , OL, Willowbrook: Overall Rank # 16
Prediction: Louisville
Rationale
The rise of Enrique Cruz Jr. Enrique Cruz Jr. 6'6" | 260 lbs | OL Willowbrook | 2021 State IL has been a quick one, and deservedly so, this is easily one of the state’s best offensive lineman. Cruz went from having not a single offer in early April to earning six Power-5 offers as of today. This commitment prediction may be a little too early, only because I believe Cruz is going to pick up more offers and will have even more options to choose from. However, if he were to make a decision in the near future, I think the Louisville Cardinals make a ton of sense here. Louisville has made a considerable splash in Illinois with recent commitments from TE Victor Mullen Victor Mullen 6'6" | 240 lbs | TE Marquette | 2021 State IL of Marquette and DB Benjamin Perry Benjamin Perry 6'3" | 190 lbs | DB Mount Carmel | 2021 State IL of Mount Carmel. Schematically, Louisville is a huge outside zone team, and they target big offensive lineman who can run, and that’s Cruz to a T. Head coach Scott Satterfield just produced a first-round offensive tackle in Mehki Becton and has shown he can help get talented offensive lineman to the next level.
Daine Hanson Daine Hanson 6'7" | 245 lbs | DL Nazareth | 2021 State IL , DL, Nazareth: Overall Rank #20
Prediction: Iowa
Rationale
Iowa, to me, is the natural fit here. Hanson is a lengthy defensive line prospect with a lot of upside. Iowa is known to produce defensive lineman and has particularly had a lot of success with ones from the Land of Lincoln. Their strength and condition program is one of the best in the country and will help build what’s already a massive frame. Hanson will come in as a five-technique, but I think once he adds weight, he could kick down to a three-technique. He and current Iowa commit Jeremiah Pittman Jeremiah Pittman 6'2" | 265 lbs | DL St. Viator | 2021 State IL of St. Viator could make a scary duo in the Big-Ten and cause a lot of issues for opposing teams offensive linemen.