In 2018, the top players in the state of Illinois headed elsewhere. Luke Ford picked Georgia, Quincy Patterson went with Virginia Tech and Devin O’Rourke picked Northwestern. Losing out to other programs for some of the top players in the state hurts, but it was not unexpected. The way the program was operated before Lovie Smith took over was a disaster. That is why we are seeing the top players not come to Champaign.
The class of 2019 has a chance to be somewhat different. Yes, there are some big-time players who are going to play for other teams.