Illinois’ recruiting class got a lot better on Friday afternoon.

Verdis Brown, a four-star offensive lineman out of IMG Academy, gave his commitment to Illinois, streaming a live feed on Facebook during his announcement. He is the second four-star player in the class and also has the second-highest rating of the group.

He has the ability to play on either the offensive or defensive line for the Illini.

Brown is a Chicago, Illinois native and the Illini were always high on his list. Still, with 19 offers from several prominent programs, it was unknown whether or not he’d commit to a program that has struggled over the last few seasons.

He chose Illinois over Florida State, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU and others.

Brown is ranked as the 60th-best prospect out of Illinois and has a national rank of 324. He’s also ranked as one of the top 10 centers in the 2018 class.

Illinois now has the 12th ranked recruiting class in the B1G and improved to No. 48 nationally with the Brown commitment. He’s also a player that could certainly make an immediate impact for Lovie Smith and the Illini.