For a second straight year, Lovie Smith and the Illini will hold a BBQ for prospective recruits on July 28. In what came as a potential surprise to some, Calabasas (Calif.) four-star wide-receiver/safety Nikko Hall announced last week that he was planning to participate in the event.

For those close to the 6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect, however, it was no shocking revelation.

“Illinois has always been close to our family,” Hall said. “David Williams, who played wide-receiver for Illinois in the mid-80s and was an All-American, played at Serra High School with my dad. He is like a Godfather to me, so we have always liked Illinois.”