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Illinois Football Offers Junior Linebacker Dewayne Ingram From Texas

Ingram, a versatile 2027 prospect, received his first Power 4 offer from the Illini on Thursday
Jared Shlensky|
Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Dewayne Ingram can officially say he has a Power 4 offer on the table after Illinois offered the junior from Texas on Thursday. A class of 2027 linebacker from Lakeview Centennial in Garland, Texas, Ingram also has offers from Colorado State, UNLV and Sacramento State.

The versatile Ingram is projected as an inside linebacker at the college level, but as a sophomore last year the 6-foot-1, 210-pound rising junior lined up all over the place, including inside linebacker, outside linebacker and safety. He also played on offense, getting snaps at wide receiver.

Ingram still has plenty of time before he needs to make a decision, but it'll be interesting to see how he approaches the recruiting process moving forward. The next step for Illini coach Bret Bielema and his staff will be to get Ingram on campus to make their pitch. Considering Illinois is (for now) Ingram's only Power 4 offer, you have to think the Illini have the early advantage.

Even though 2027 seems far off, the Illini already have one 2027 commit in quarterback Kamden Lopati. And Illinois is in the mix for plenty of top recruits, including four-star prospects Quentin Burrell, Tavares Harrington and Roman Igwebuike (all from Chicago powerhouse Mount Carmel) and Brock Williams (Libertyville).

If they can put together another 10-win season and win another bowl game in 2025, the Illini could have a stacked 2027 recruiting class on their hands. Bielema's 2026 recruiting class is ranked in the top 25 nationally, and has a little bit of everything – including four-star wide receiver Nasir Rankin (Chicago's Morgan Park).

Illinois really wasn't drawing many four-stars until Bielema came to Champaign, and if the Illini are going to consistently be in the mix for four- and five-star recruits, they're going to need to win roughly 10 games year in and year out, routinely grab berths to major bowl games and become a top-25 fixture.

Obviously NIL money matters, but recruits also want to go to a school that consistently wins on Saturdays and offers a good education. Illinois is slowly but surely starting to check off all those boxes. But sustaining success will be the key to getting recruits moving forward.

More from Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Football Offers Class of 2027 Offensive Tackle Davis Seaman

Two Doak Walker Candidates? What It Says About Illinois' Offense

Former Illini Jer'Zhan Newton Shines in Washington Commanders' Preseason Opener

Illinois Football Seeking to Flip Wisconsin Class of 2026 Commit Jack Janda

Illinois Stat of the Day: The Best Experience Edge in College Football

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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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