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Illinois Football’s 4-star commit Marquez Beason plans on running track, too

Every Illini fan’s biggest fear is a commit like out-of-state 2019 four-star athlete Marquez Beason, who committed in March, not ending up in Champaign.

Beason’s announcement on Twitter on Thursday should dispel those fears a little bit, as he said he plans on joining the track and field team at Illinois, in addition to football.

It’s a big get for Mike Turk’s track program, which is among the best in the country. It’s also not foreign territory to Beason, who runs track at Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas.

Beason — 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, per 247 — was early momentum for Lovie Smith’s 2019 class, which is shaping up to be his best yet.