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Illinois hauls in commitment from in-state WR
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Since taking the job in December, Bret Bielema has put a heavy emphasis on Illinois recruiting within the state boundaries. That paid off this week, as the Fighting Illini received a verbal pledge from an in-state wide receiver.
Eian Pugh, a 2022 receiver out of Oak Park, announced his commitment to Illinois with a post on Twitter on Wednesday. He is currently the highest-ranked recruit to pledge to Bielema and Co. and is the sixth in-state product to join the class.
“Home is where your heart is,” Pugh wrote on Twitter, which included an image of him in an Illinois uniform.
https://twitter.com/eianpugh7/status/1407745500841975812?s=21
Illinois is now up to 10 total commitments in the 2022 class. It ranks No. 43 nationally and No. 11 in the B1G, according to 247Sports Composite.
Pugh is ranked as one of the Top 15 players out of the state of Illinois and is listed as one of the Top 100 wide receivers in the 2022 class. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound receiver is listed just outside the Top 700 nationally.
Eight other programs extended an offer to Pugh in the recruiting process. The Illini beat Iowa and Indiana out of the B1G for his pledge. Pugh also received offers from Cincinnati, Ball State, Howard, Kansas, Toledo and UNLV.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB