Illinois received some good recruiting news entering the weekend.

Offensive lineman Hunter Whitenack announced via Twitter that he has committed to the program, becoming the third player in the 2022 class to verbally pledge to the Fighting Illini. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound tackle is a native of New Carlisle, Indiana.

“I am 1000% committed to the University of Illinois,” Whitenack wrote on Twitter.

According to 247Sports, Whitenack is a 3-star offensive tackle who ranks as one of the Top 25 players out of his home state. He’s also listed as the No. 130 offensive tackle in the recruiting cycle.

Whitenack received offers from eight other programs before committing to Illinois. He picked up interest from Cincinnati, Ball State, Central Michigan, Illinois State, Indiana State, Tulane, UAB and Western Michigan.

New head coach Bret Bielema and his staff are getting to work on the recruiting trail. The Illini have three pledges so far, all of which are out-of-state prospects. All commitments have come since February.

Illinois’ recruiting class currently ranks No. 12 in the B1G and No. 64 nationally.