DT Anthony Shipton commits to Illinois

It’s been a nice recruiting weekend for Lovie Smith and Fighting Illini football. After receiving a verbal commitment from 2021 QB Samari Collier on Saturday, Illinois bulked up its defensive line Sunday night, getting a pledge from 2020 defensive tackle Anthony Shipton.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Shipton is a sophomore at Cerritos Community College in Norwalk, Calif. He tallied 31 tackles, 4 sacks, and 5.5 tackles for loss for the Falcons, and was unanimously named to the First Team defense of the Central League of the Southern California Football Association.

Check out some highlights below:

Shipton selected the Fighting Illini over offers from UTEP, Hawaii, and Arizona.

The defensive front will certainly be an area of need moving forward. Illinois returns Calvin Avery & Jamal Woods next season but has to replace Kenyon Jackson, Jamal Milan & Tymir Oliver along the d-line.

Shipton is the Illini’s 10th commit of the 2020 recruiting class. The early signing period kicks off December 18th.