Football Recruiting Spotlight on Javari Barnett

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

April 10, 2025

Illinois continued its run of running backs from the Sunshine State when 6-foot, 205-pound Javari Barnett of Tampa Tech pledged to the Illini Sunday to break the Illini hoops stranglehold on recruiting news.  Barnett drew early offers from some of the biggest names in college football early on, but when he sprained a knee ligament in the third game of his junior year the recruiters from schools like Alabama, Tennessee, USC and Penn State backed off while Illinois continued to make Barnett a priority.  The continued attention paid off . . .

 

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