By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

January 18, 2025

Illinois secured its 4th commitment for the Class of 2026 on Tuesday when 6'3, 290 pound 3-star recruit Landen Von Seggern chose the Illini over offers from Iowa, Kansas and Kansas State.

Von Seggern happens to come from the same area of Nebraska as Illinois Offensive Line coach Bart Miller.  That seems to have had much to do with both the recruitment and commitment of Von Seggern.  Von Seggern is an interior offensive line prospect from Millard South High School in Omaha, one of the best football programs in the state.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

I have to answer a question with a question:  Do you like Josh Gesky?   Because that's what we're looking at with Von Seggern.  He plays left tackle for his high school team, but he isn't a fit for left tackle in the Big Ten because of his smallish size and heavy footed athleticism  However, he's about as effective as you could ask for a player with his limitations.  Von Seggern, like Gesky, is one of those guys who hustles everywhere he goes.  You can count on seeing him playing to, and through, the whistle on every play.  He's a fun player to watch for that reason but not every team wants a Gesky in their starting lineup when they could put a 320 pound road grader on the field at guard who has the raw power to move Big Ten defensive tackles off their spots.  However, at the same time you can see why a coach would want a Von Seggern type on their team when it comes to knowing that a player is going to execute well and think the game as it happens.  When you watch this video, don't just look at the undersized defenders hitting the ground at Von Seggern drives them wherever he want.  Look instead at how well Von Seggern times up his blocks on those screen passes.  How well he controls pass rusher's shoulders so they can't get free after he locks on.  That's high level stuff.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17714603/674b9eade4633310d1bc214a

Did you enjoy that?  I'm sure you did.  Now here's the bad news.  There's a reason that Von Seggern does not yet have an offer from home state Nebraska: he's probably a bit small to be a Big Ten lineman, and he's definitely a bit slow for the job as well.  While Von Seggern lists himself at 290, there are several other rosters and profiles listing him as light as 270.  And, if he is a 290 pounder, he's not carrying it very well because he rumbles around the field in a fairly unathletic manner.  I asked the Josh Gesky question above because there's been a legitimate debate among Illinois fans about whether Gesky should still be starting.  The fact that Gesky hustles downfield and does a great job positioning his body of reach blocks and selling draw plays doesn't necessarily overcome his inability to move Big Ten defensive tackles on short yardage plays due to a lack of power and hit defenders downfield in space due to a lack of athleticism.  Von Seggern is that type of player.  He's going need a couple of years of physical training before he can get in the two deep and even then I'm not sure he has the ability to be a starter on a top 20-type of team.  Ideally Bart Miller is going to give him a chance to play center where Illinois can take full advantage of Von Seggern's brain rather than be limited by his lack of brawn.

Where does he fit in?

Illinois is still making up for a few misses on the O line in the Class of 2024 so there is some room for an interior player on the future depth chart.  Illini fans that watch the team closely know that Bart Miller likes to find his best five linemen and then figure out which one fits in best at the five positions, but as I've said above Von Seggern really is going to be limited to an interior three position even if he does develop the size, strength and power to be a Big Ten lineman.  If that happens a few years down the line, Von Seggern has a real shot at playing time because the Illini have focused more on players who look better at tackle recently.  In fact, all four of the linemen in the Class of 2025 will start at tackle: Rousseau, Hirdes, McDonough and Frechette.  Brandon Hansen and possibly Kellen Francis in the Class of 2024 can play any position and Zafir Stewart from that class will start at tackle but could also switch to guard.  TJ McMillen from the Class of 2023 has been anointed as the replacement for Josh Kreutz, but Von Seggern would have three years behind him if he plays center as I've suggested (Brandon Hansen can also play center).

So, as you can tell I'm not overly excited about adding Von Seggern to the Class of 2026.  The Iowa offer tells me that Von Seggern is probably a Big Ten prospect, but the eye test and the lack of a Nebraska offer tells me is a longshot to earn playing time down the line at any position other than center.  At a point when Illinois' recruiting stock should be higher than ever I think this is a bit of a reach.  However, Bart Miller has connections in the area and surely did his homework on this recruitment, so we'll have to put some trust in him and use some patience.  Call this addition a 4 on the 10 point excitement scale.