Illinois football’s in-state recruiting momentum continues. Three-star Burbank (Ill.) Class of 2027 St. Laurence linebacker Sean Rice committed to Illinois, he announced on Friday.
- The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker chose Illinois over Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas State and Georgia Tech, among other offers.
- 247Sports ranks Rice as the No. 41 prospect in the state of Illinois and the No. 113 linebacker in the Class of 2027
- Illini outside linebackers coach Archie McDaniel led the Illini’s pursuit of Rice.
Why it matters: Rice is the third in-state prospect to commit to Illinois over other Big Ten offers during the last week, joining OL Mason Halliman (No. 13 in-state) and OL Soren Fifer (No. 19 in-state). All four of the Illini’s commits so far in the Class of 2027 are in-state prospects, headlined by Composite four-star Evanston DB Justin Johnson (No. 14 in-state). The Illini are certainly gaining momentum on the trail after a slow few months.
Why Illinois: “I love [Bielema]. I think he’s a great coach,” Rice said in January. “Like I said, we weren’t only talking about football. So we got to talk about the culture of the team and community service events that they do. He actually started to tear up a little bit, telling me his story. So that type of personal and emotional connection that I was able to build with him on the first conversation we had, that just means a lot to me as someone that is looking for a school that I’m going to spend the next four years at.
“One thing that I also really did appreciate in my conversation with Coach B is he’s been putting a big emphasis the last couple of years on recruiting guys in state, which I think is really cool, first of all. Also, I think it helps with that chemistry thing, just coming onto a team like your in-state team with guys that you’ve kind of grown up playing against or playing with. So I think that’s a really cool thing about that program.”…