Illini host 2015 offensive lineman
Illinois hosted 2015 offensive lineman Hunter Littlejohn from Powell (Ohio) Olentangy Liberty for an unofficial visit this weekend.
The 6-foot-3, 269-pound checked in Saturday and stayed overnight on campus, taking the opportunity to get more familiar with the school and the football program.
Advertisement
"The visit went really well," Littlejohn said. "I had a really good time and definitely got a better feel for the campus. It was the first I got to hang out at a college during a semester, so I got to see what the college life is like for a football player."
Littlejohn has an offer from Illinois and is one of their top offensive line targets in the junior class. He is ranked a 3-star prospect by Rivals.com and the No. 35 offensive guard in the nation. Other offers for Littlejohn include Boston College, Indiana, and West Virginia.
A current Illini lineman was Littlejohn's host. He got to spend some social time with the players, and also talk a lot of football with them.
"Austin Schmidt was my host," Littlejohn said. "It was nice hanging out with him because he went to Olentangy and I go to Olentangy Liberty. I actually played against him my sophomore year. Then I hung out with Ted Karras a little bit too."
Having been at Illinois for a visit once before, Littlejohn was familiar with the football facilities. On this trip, he got a more in-depth look - including familiarization with the academic services available to student athletes.
Tight ends coach Alex Golesh is the leader recruiter for Littlejohn. He also spent a good deal of time on the visit with his potential position A.J. Ricker.
"I spent a lot of time with Coach Ricker," Littlejohn said. "We talked about the depth chart, game plans, and watched some film. I really got to like him this weekend."
Recruiting is picking up. Littlejohn has two new offers, and has another campus visit planned next weekend.
"I picked up offers from Cincinnati and Purdue over the last couple of weeks," Littlejohn said. "I'm getting pretty strong attention from Northwestern, a little bit from Louisville, and Duke as well. I have (a visit to) Duke next weekend."
While the process seems to be speeding up some, Littlejohn said he isn't close to pulling the trigger on a commitment.
"I'm still in no hurry," Littlejohn said. "I will know more about when I want to make a decision after this visits, and especially after some camps this summer."