It’s official — Illinois football has added another talented prospect to their 2017 recruiting class. Three-star offensive lineman Howard Watkins (OH) has informed Illini Inquirer that he’ll be suiting up for the Orange and Blue next Fall. Watkins is currently rated as the nation’s No. 1087 overall prospect by 247Sports.
Watkins selected Illinois over other Power 5 scholarship offers from Louisville, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, and Rutgers. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Ohio native has submitted a National Letter of Intent, meaning he’ll be able to enroll early and participate in Spring practice.
Including JUCO commits, Watkins is the fourteenth member of Illinois’ recruiting class; he’ll be joining fellow three-star prospects Larry Boyd (MO) and Vederian Lowe (IL) in the trenches for the next 4-5 seasons.