Three Florida athletes keep the Illini in the top six

After a major commitment, the Illinois football program is now in the top six for another 2024 recruiting class.

The Illini landed their biggest commitment for 2024 on Saturday when running back Ca’Lil Valentine chose the orange and blue over other teams like Utah and Oregon. Valentine, a four-star recruit ranked in the top 400, has 17 commitments to Illinois and national ranking of No. 37 2024 for the class.

However, Bret Bielema and the Illini coaching staff are far from done with the 2024 squad. The good news didn’t stop flowing on Saturday either.

It was announced Saturday via multiple outlets that Deylen Platt has cut his top list to six programs, which included Ole Miss, South Florida, Louisville, Wisconsin, Oregon State and Illinois.

🚨 Top six 🚨

Three ⭐️ ATH Deylen Platt has Top 6

Florida native cuts HS list to Illinois, Ole Miss, Louisville, Wisconsin, Oregon St & USF.

Who will he choose 👀 pic.twitter.com/93ePdIwcXd

— Rivals (@Rivals) July 9, 2023

Illinois football follows superstar athlete in Florida, Deylen Platt

Platt is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound cornerback from Venice High School in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and highly regarded Player #1086 in the class of 2024. He’s also the No. 99 cornerback in the country and the No. 144 player out of Florida.

Although Platt has six teams, he has already taken official visits to Illinois and Ole Miss. After three official visits, no exact time has been set for commitment.

Opinion

Illinois drafted just a handful of defensive backs in the NFL, one of which was Devon Witherspoon, who went No. 5 overall to the Seattle Seahawks. Bielema’s coaching staff loves big defensive backs, and Platt fits that mold.

The 6-foot-6 Platt will be a nightmare for opposing offenses. However, he is not just a big defensive back. Platt is also a great athlete. He runs track for Venice and competes in the high school 100, 200, 400 and high jump.

Seeing Platt outside the top 1000 is confusing. I’m guessing he’s not fine-tuned in soccer because he plays three sports in Venice. Just think how good he will be when football is his only focus.

• Published on 7 October 2023 at 00:37
• Last updated on 7 October 2023 at 00:37