3-star LB Trevor Moffitt commits to Illinois

Illinois’ 2020 recruiting class may be disappointing in terms of sheer numbers, but Lovie Smith and his staff are trying to make up for that in 2021. The Illini have been stepping up their recruiting efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, even if many top prospects won’t be capable of visiting Champaign.

Illinois received a commitment Thursday from three-star linebacker Trevor Moffitt.

He made it official — where else? — on social media:

Moffitt is a 6-foot-1, 195-pounder from South Sumter High School in Bushnell, Florida. A three-sport standout, Moffitt is agile, strong, and versatile — he was a state finalist in long jump in 2019 and has a vertical leap of more than 37 inches.

Moffitt recorded 110 tackles, 11 sacks, and four forced fumbles (LOVIE BALL, BAY-BAY!) during his junior campaign. Illinois was Moffitt’s lone Power Five offer, but he had been courted by Group of Five programs like USF, Florida Atlantic, UAB, Appalachian State, Temple, UConn, Colorado State and Marshall. Moffitt is the 103rd-rated outside linebacker and 172nd-ranked prospect in Florida, per 247Sports.

He’ll need to work with Lou Hernandez to build his body for the rigors of Big Ten football, but there’s a lot to like athletically. Moffitt may ultimately be better suited for playing safety or nickel, but he’s a ball-hawk who can cover all points of the field. I’ll take instincts, malleability, and determination over tangible skill most of the time.

Moffitt is the third commitment of the 2021 class, joining QB Samari Collier and ATH Prince Green. Check out Moffitt’s highlight tape below.