2022 TE Naivyan Cargill commits to Illinois

Bret Bielema and the Illinois Fighting Illini are continuing their push for late additions to the 2022 class. Illinois landed another commitment Sunday morning, this one from Naivyan Cargill, a tight end from Riviera Beach, Florida.

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Cargill was offered a scholarship last week. As a senior, he racked up 35 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns for Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) HS. Cargill was also a defensive force at linebacker and edge rusher, totaling 55 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions.

Cargill is the third tight end commitment in the 2022 class, along with Henry Boyer and Owen Anderson. With Daniel Barker in the transfer portal, there should be plenty of competition behind Luke Ford on the Illini depth chart.

Looking at the tape, it’s easy to see why Illinois would be allured by Cargill’s potential. At 6-foot-6, he has long strides and a large catch radius. He is also capable of lining up on the outside as a true receiver.

Cargill is joining the Fighting Illini as a “blueshirt,” meaning he can’t officially be added to the team until the first day of camp this summer. He also would count toward Illinois’ 2023 scholarship count, not this season’s. He definitely needs some time to bulk up, but we could be looking back at Cargill as a steal in a year or two.

IIllinois now has 25 commits for the 2022 recruiting class — not including former Northwestern defensive end Te’Rah Edwards and Syracuse transfer QB Tommy DeVito — heading into the normal signing period, which begins next week.