Recruiting is the name of the game.

If coaches don’t get the players they want to fulfill their system, it’s hard to get the ball rolling. At Illinois, coach Lovie Smith hasn’t seen the wins to back what he is trying to sell.

However, on Saturday, he may have gotten a player that can help build what he wants in Champaign. Four-star wide receiver prospect James Frenchie announced his commitment to the Fighting Illini:

https://twitter.com/Jay_DaKidd01/status/1165369409306857473

Frenchie — from Trinity Catholic High School — is the No. 290 overall player regardless of position in the Class of 2020. He is a 5-foot-9, 175-pound pass-catcher from Saint Louis, Mo. and is joining former Trinity Catholic coach Cory Patterson and former teammates Isaiah Williams, Shammond Cooper and Reggie Love. Frenchie is also the No. 5 player, regardless of position, in the state of Missouri.

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Frenchie had scholarship offers from Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and Purdue among others. The 2020 Illinois class now ranks No. 87 nationally and No. 13 in the B1G.

Frenchie is the second-highest rated recruit in the Fighting Illini’s class, behind 4-star QB CJ Dixon.