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Illinois loses commitment from homegrown 2019 WR
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Illinois got a huge win on the field on Saturday but suffered a significant loss on the recruiting trail on Sunday.
A day after the Illini posted a 55-31 victory over Minnesota to improve to 4-5 on the year, 3-star wide receiver Fabian McCray announced his decision to reopen his recruitment. The Chicago native committed to Illinois back in July.
McCray is ranked as a top 20 player out of Illinois.
“With all due respect to whom it may concern, after numerous talks with my family, we believe that it is in my best interest to reopen my recruitment and decommit from the University of Illinois,” McCray wrote in a Twitter post. “I want everyone to know that this was not an easy decision and that I have to do what is best for me.”
https://twitter.com/FabianMcCray7/status/1059174583037779968
That’s another crushing blow for Illinois’ recruiting class, which now has just nine members. The Illini are currently ranked 14th in the B1G and 73rd nationally with its 2019 class.
According to 247Sports, McCray had 26 total offers, including four from B1G schools. In addition to Illinois, the receiver also received interest from Minnesota, Purdue and Rutgers.
McCray is a 6-foo-1, 180-pound receiver who is ranked in the top 125 in his position group in the 2019 class.
Illinois head coach Lovie Smith has talked at length about being able to recruit the Chicago area well and establish a strong base. McCray’s decommitment certainly hurts that goal.
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