Illinois recently extended an offer to rising junior center Peyton Marshall from Marietta (GA) Kell. The Illini were offer No. 11 for Marshall, who had an excellent spring with Game Elite in the Adidas 3SSB Series.

Orange and Blue News spoke to Marshall about his new Big Ten offer, his visit plans, and more in this update.

Illinois assistant coach Chester Frazier watched Marshall play during the second April live period, and the Illini offered came last week.

Marshall said he became familiar with the Illini this past season, and he sees the program moving in the right direction, so it's a big offer for him.

"Coach Frazier, he made it happen," Marshall said about the offer. " I know they're applying pressure up there to make a national championship run."

More high major programs are joining the mix for Marshall. He holds 13 scholarship offers, including Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, LSU, Ole MIss, Missouri, and others.

Now that Illinois has jumped on board, there will be the inevitable comparisons to All-American center Kofi Cockburn. That's okay with Marshall.

"Kofi is a great player," Marshall said. "So much can be said about him, but the best way to describe him is 'dominant'. "

Marshall is working to get to that level, and he made huge strides over the past year, cutting 80 pounds to get down to 300 lbs.

He has the potential to be a force in the low post if he stays on the current trajectory. Marshall is surprisingly nimble for his size.

"I can dominate the paint," Marshall said. "I’m looking to control the paint both ends of floor, and make sure on offense I get my team involved."

Marshall is originally from St. Louis, so he's familiar with the Illinois program. He attended the Annual Braggin' Rights Game vs. Mizzou last December.

The next step is to get Marshall on campus for a visit. That's currently in the works.

"I’ll be in Champaign real soon," Marshall said. "I can’t wait."

He plans to take some other visits this summer, Marshall said, and he doesn't plan to make an early decision calling his recruitment a "long journey"

He’s not ready to name any favorites yet. Illinois is one of the schools recruiting him the hardest.

“ Coach Frazier says he's not letting up,” Marshall said. “The Illini fans don’t let up either. I see the fans in my mentions the most, saying 'come on'>"