Illinois coach Bret Bielema landed arguably his biggest recruit to date a couple weeks ago with the commitment of two-sport star Nasir Rankin, and the Illini remained aggressive at the wide receiver position over the weekend, offering four-star wideout Chad Willis from Michigan. That aggressiveness carried over to Monday, when Bielema and his staff offered another high-performing receiver from Michigan in freshman Deandre Bidden.
Bidden, who technically isn’t even a sophomore yet, already has more than 25 scholarship offers. Seven SEC programs (Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt) and seven Big Ten schools (Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Wisconsin and Illinois) have offered Bidden so far.
As a freshman last year at Harper Woods (Detroit), Woods had 32 receptions for 700 yards and 11 touchdowns – and that was as a 6-foot-1, 167-pounder barely out of his pre-teen years. Imagine what he may be capable of over the next three years as he matures, adds functional weight and perhaps even grows taller.
Bidden might be acknowledged as a five-star recruit once he’s ranked, but even if the Illini don’t land him, give Bielema and his staff credit for going after him. Bielema and his staff aren’t afraid of going after the top players in the nation, and if they eventually land Bidden, he could go down as Bielema’s most significant signing ever – bigger even than Rankin.
