Three-star Arlington Heights (Ill.) Hersey tight end Logan Farrell announced on Monday that he flipped his commitment from North Carolina to Illinois after visiting Champaign during the weekend. Farrell had been committed to North Carolina since November 2023, but Illinois was the first Power Four program to offer Farrell and a major player in his recruitment initially. The Illini obviously kept up its pursuit with coaches recently visiting him at his high school earlier this month during its off week.
- Farrell is the No. 17 senior prospect in the state of Illinois, according to the Composite rankings, while 247Sports ranks Farrell as the No. 30 in-state senior. Farrell is the No. 36 tight end in the country according to the Composite rankings, while 247Sports ranks him the No. 61 tight end.
- Farrell also holds Power Four offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Louisville and Syracuse.
- Farrell suffered a torn torn ACL while participating in a 7-on-7 event with his high school team in June and had surgery in July.
- As a junior, Farrell had 29 receptions for 425 yards and nine touchdowns, according to MaxPreps. As a sophomore, Farrell caught 34 receptions for 403 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Why it matters: Farrell is the second in-state tight end to flip his commitment to Illinois this fall, helping Illinois address a big position of need for the long term. Three-star Maroa Forsyth tight end Grant Smith flipped from Illinois State to Illinois in September, and both Farrell and Smith give Illinois more dynamic pass catchers to add to a room that currently is built with more blockers, though Tanner Arkin has taken a significant step as a pass catcher of late.
What it means: Illinois has more to sell in recruiting following a surprise 6-1 start to the season and this shows that is starting to resonate with prospects, including in-state prospects. Bielema has built a strong foundation at Illinois, and the Illini have success and stability to sell — especially over a program like North Carolina that is struggling this season under a 73-year-old head coach. Expect the Illini to continue to e aggressive in trying to flip other Class of 2025 prospects. They’ve recently hosted four-star Colorado DB commit Alex Graham, four-star Auburn DB commit Donovan Starr and three-star Western Michigan OL commit JJ Hirdes.
How he fits: Farrell isn’t the longest tight end, but he is a physical blocker at the point of attack, similar to Arkin. But Farrell also is a really fluid athlete and smooth pass catcher with enough athleticism to make plays after the catch. He can play as an in-line tight end but also could line up as an H-Back at times. Farrell has the frame to add a lot of strength and be a versatile player at tight end, which would complement a longer pass-catching option like Smith really well. Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. likes to run a lot of 12 personnel, and the two Class of 2025 tight end commits give him multiple flavors to employ. Illinois also recently earned a walk-on commitment from two-star Mahomet-Seymour tight end prospect Trey Peters, a 6-foot-6 pass catcher with FCS offers…