Steve Sturm, IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 13, 2025

Linebacker Anthony James of LaMarque High School in LaMarque, Texas made his college choice on Saturday when he announced his commitment to the Illini. Linebacker coach Anthony McDaniel and his Texas roots had a lot to do with the commitment of the 6'3, 205 pound James.

James did it all for LaMarque, with 134 tackles, 3 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.

James chose the Illini over several P4 offers, including Oklahoma State, Colorado, Pittsburgh and Purdue.

James also just happened to spend time with the only other linebacker commit in the Class of '27 so far because Sean Rice just happened to be spending the weekend in Champaign on his official visit.  James is the 9th commit in the Class of 2027 so far, but that number figures to grow in the very near future as Illinois continues its pattern of locking down commitments from its official visit weekends.