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Illinois Football Offers Three-Star In-State Offensive Tackle

Illinois offered Mason Halliman from Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort, Illinois) on Tuesday

Jared Shlensky

Nov 16, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini players face their fans after a 38-16 win over the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini players face their fans after a 38-16 win over the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
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Illinois high school football powerhouse Lincoln-Way East had another strong season in 2025 finishing 12-1 and falling only to eventual IHSA 8A state champs Loyola Academy in a nail-biter in the state semifinals.

One of the drivers of the Griffins' success was offensive tackle Mason Halliman. A 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman and a junior-to-be, Halliman already has 11 scholarship offers – 10 of them from Power 4 programs. On Tuesday, Illinois became the latest program – and fifth among Big Ten schools (Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue and Nebraska are the others) – to offer Halliman.

Halliman, a three-star recruit according to On3, has already visited Purdue and Iowa (twice). He also visited Illinois last fall, and should be expected to drop into Champaign again sometime between now and December.

Illinois returns all five of its starting offensive linemen from last season's 10-win team, but with Halliman being only a junior, he could help build the foundation of the Illini's next-generation front five.

Halliman should receive more offers – probably out of the Big 12 and SEC – before the fall.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

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Illinois Basketball's Best of the Century: No. 10 Malcolm Hill

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster.

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