In-state defender Oladipo chooses Illinois

First-year Illinois head coach Lovie Smith will roll into the 2016 season with momentum that has come from the recruiting trail. The Illini followed up the commitment of four-star wide receiver Carmoni Green on Thursday afternoon with one from three-star defensive end Olalere Oladipo Thursday night.

RELATED: Illinois lands four-star Green

WHAT HAPPENED: Oladipo announced late last week that he would be announcing his decision on Aug. 25, a day before his senior season kicked off. Green, from Miami, coincidentally announced the same day and set up the potential Thursday two-fer for the Illini. A top six of California, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State and Penn State had been in place for Oladipo since early in the summer, but proximity to home was important to the Chicagoland native, as was a highly-regarded engineering program. Illinois was also far and away the school he knew best out of his top six.

IN HIS WORDS: “The last visit I went on was nice and I got to see the campus a little bit more. I got to hang out with the other recruits and commits, so that was really nice. I got to talk to the coaches one-on-one instead of on the phone, so that was nice too.”

RIVALS REACTION: Although Illinois is after several higher-rated prospects, an argument could be made that Oladipo was their most important target. That he's an in-state target elevates his importance, but that is not even the biggest reason. The Illini will lose four defensive linemen, so the positional need is certainly pronounced, and Oladipo is the first commitment at the position in this 2017 class. The key, however, will be keeping him committed all the way until February, because he still plans to take all five of his official visits.