Red-shirt freshman defensive linemen Lere Oladipo was one of the top recruits of the 2017 Illinois class.

A three-star recruit coming out of Huntley, Illinois, Oladipo was told by the Illini coaching staff he was going to make an immediate impact his freshman season.

When Oladipo arrived at Illinois, however, adjusting to the college game proved challenging.

“Struggled definitely with the speed of the game and the physicality,” Oladipo said. “I had to get stronger. In terms of the college level, it’s a lot different than the high school level, so I had to get my strength up, my IQ up, everything.”