Illinois high on Cotton's list

MORE: Illini will make the cut for 4-star defensive end

Illinois will have a shot to make their pitch to 3-star athlete Trajon Cotton from Sacramento (Calif.) Inderkum.

“I’m taking an official visit to Illinois,“ Cotton said. “As a matter of fact, I’ll be there at the Michigan State game.”

There's a spot for Cotton on the Block I Report, our list of top Illini football recruiting targets.

The Illini host the Spartans on Nov. 5 at Memorial Stadium. Defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson, a California native, is the lead recruiter on Cotton.

Lovie Smith and his staff stay in close contact with Cotton.

“I’m really liking what they have going on out there,” Cotton said about Illinois. “They have fantastic new staff, and I just love how well they communicate with me. It’s great.”

Cotton recently put out a top list of Hawaii, Oregon, UCLA, Colorado, Nebraska, Memphis, Utah, Colorado State, Cal, Arizona State, Oregon State and Illinois.

The plan for Cotton is to trim his list further sometime in the near future.

“I’m not sure when I’m going to cut it to five, but it’s going to be pretty soon,” he said. “When I do, Illinois will be on that list. They’re pretty high on my list. I like them a lot.”

Rivals.com lists Cotton as an athlete. The Illini are recruiting him to play in the defensive secondary.

“They told me they can see my future at Illinois and the NFL as a safety or a corner, which I like,” Cotton said.