Illinois picked up a commitment on Monday from three-star defensive end Brian Allen Jr. from Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More.

Orange and Blue News breaks down the game film on the new Illini commit.

Considering that Illinois will run a 3-4 front under new coach Bret Bielema, Allen is a bit of a tweener in how he'll fit in the new scheme. He could get leaner and play Buck linebacker, but I think it's more likely he'll try to add some muscle and play with his hand on the ground. I don't quite see the foot-speed he would need to chase down the ball in space from the OLB position, at least not at this point.

But...you line him up at one of the defensive end spots, and he has a very nice get-off and speed to the ball in short bursts. If he can reach the 280-pound range, he should have a nice career as both a pass rusher and run stuffer. The talent level he's playing against doesn't look great, but he has the initial quickness and easily gains an advantage getting upfield. He could play with his pads a bit lower and he's good but not great at changing directions, but that's nitpicking.

I also love how Allen uses his hands. He's naturally aggressive and uses his hands and upper body strength to get separation. None of the opponents try to double him (obviously a mistake) and he easily sheds blocks and gets a bead on the football. Once he finds the ball, he's a solid tackler who raps up and gets guys to the ground. A lot of high school kids are strictly bull rushers against lesser athletes, but Allen can blow by guys or knock them backwards.

Allen is going to need to get bigger to be able to hold the point and neutralize blocks against Big Ten offensive linemen. The fallback plan would be to play him standing up, but I think he has the frame to get big enough to play up front. This is a good player and a nice get for Bret Bielema and Terrance Jamison at a need position.