It's that time of year again. The early signing period runs December 21-23, with Illinois set to sign at least 20 players in the class of 2023.

The Illinois recruiting class ranks No. 34 in the nation and No. 5 in the Big Ten heading down the home stretch.

Orange and Blue News breaks down some of our recruiting class superlatives ahead of National Signing Day.

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ILLINOIS: Recruiting class | Top remaining targets

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

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Antwon Hayden is the highest ranked linebacker that Illinois has signed since five-star Martez Wilson in the class of 2007, and Wilson was actually listed as a weakside defensive end. That's a long draught for a program that once touted itself as Linebacker-U.

Hayden is out pick for the top prospect in the Illini's 2023 recruiting class. Now, they need to hang on to him and get him signed. Hayden has long been regarded as a soft verbal to Illinois, and his tremendous play on the field. this year for state champ East St. Louis upped the ante.

Hayden says he's mulling things over after defensive coordinator Ryan Walters departed for the head coaching job at Purdue. He has just a few more days of deep thinking until its time to sign on the dotted line.

West Orange (NJ) defensive back Saboor Karriem is the best overall athlete in the Illini's recruiting class. Sometimes, long and lanky defensive backs aren't quite twitchy enough to play corner, but Karriem has good feet and he can change directions.

We like him at boundary cornerback because of his length, and he could play safety as well. At 6-foot-3, he's rangy and and he makes it really tough on quarterbacks with those long arms and lateral movement. He's also a Power 5 prospect at wide receiver.

Ironically, the commit from just up the road is also the biggest enigma. We've seen Kaden Feagin play live multiple times but it's tough to get a feel for what position he fits best at and how he will perform against Big Ten competition. There's not doubt that he's a great athlete at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds. But, we probably won't know what position he plays until he's on campus in Champaign.

Coaches go to the JUCO ranks for immediate help, so expect Dezmond Schuster to compete for a starting spot in the spring. Illinois started former JUCO offensive linemen Isaiah Adams and Zy Crisler this season. Schuster could be the third. At 6-foot-5, 311 pounds, he could play guard or tackle at Illinois.

Maybe it's because he's a tweener that defensive end Mason Muragin isn't more highly regarded by the analysts. All he did was dominate this season at De La Salle in the Detroit area and helping to lead his team to a state championship and garnering first team All-State honors. He was also named the metro-Detroit defensive player of the year. We believe he's deserving of a fourth star.

Rivals may only dish out two stars to the best specialists, but a great kicker has tremendous value. David Olano, one of the top PK in the nation, should push for the starters' role as a true freshman next fall. He'll have to battle Caleb Griffin in training camp, and that should be one of the more interesting position battles for the Illini.

Four-star wide receiver Malik Elzy backed off of a commitment to Cincinnati and jumped directly to the top of Illinois recruiting board. He is expected to announce his decision on January 7 at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

Orange and Blue News is sticking with our FutureCast pick for Elzy to Illinois. He has been getting increased attention from Wisconsin, and he previously committed to Luke Fickell when Fickell was at Cincinnati. Still, Elzy cancelled a planned visit to Wisconsin.

Other teams that have previously been mentioned include Ole Miss, Oregon, and Tennessee. Elzy also recently picked up an offer from Auburn.

Pear River C.C cornerback Kaleb Patterson is set to visit Illinois over the weekend. If all goes well, expect Illinois to add him to its 2023 recruiting class. Orange and Blue News has submitted a FutureCast pick for Patterson to Illinois. The Illini are looking for veteran help in the secondary with all of the starters, including All-American Devon Witherspoon, moving on.

Illinois is the first Power 5 for 2023 defensive tackle Jeremiah Warren from Michigan power Belleville High School in the metro Detroit area. Up until now, Warren held a long list of MAC and service schools offers. The offer from the Fighting Illini is definitely a game-changer. Illinois does appear to have put itself in strong position with the offer to Warren and we submitted a FutureCast pick. . Warren is visiting this weekend.