Illini grab Brother Rice’s Ricky Smalling, Bolingbrook’s Kendall Smith

Brother Rice wide receiver Ricky Smalling is one of the most decorated athletes in the junior class. He amassed 1,164 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns last season and was the only junior selected for the Sun Times All-Area team.

On Tuesday he became one of the first in-state prospects to commit to new Illinois head coach Lovie Smith.

“I was very excited when I told the staff I committed,” Smalling said. “When Lovie and the staff got hired it made me more interested in the school.

The Illini were always on the 6-1, 190-pound receivers radar, but there was a moment that Smalling just knew.

“When I went on a visit to one of the spring practices and seeing them coach and getting to talk to them face to face and hearing their plan on changing the program around,” Smalling said. “That did it.”

Smalling is looking forward to seeing the Illini’s wide receivers in action.

“I really don’t know what they’ll be doing with the receivers but I know that [Wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker] is a great coach and the offense will throw the ball around a lot,” Smalling said.

And if course his family is pretty excited too.

“I just told my mom Illinois is the place where I want to be and she supported my decision 100 percent,” Smalling said.

In the meantime, Smalling still has his senior year at Brother Rice ahead of him and high goals left to achieve.

“I am working on being more explosive off the ball, getting in and out my break faster, and understanding different coverages,” Smalling said.

Illinois also picked up a commitment from Bolingbrook wide receiver Kendall Smith.

Smith, with good size at 6-2, 170-pounds, decided Illinois was where he wanted to play his college ball after a long recruiting history with the school.

The Illini offered Smith just days after he received his first offer, from Bowling Green.

“This is our home state and our team, and I’m excited that I received a full scholarship to play there,” Smith said.