2022 Alabama defensive lineman Terrell Jones commits to Illinois

Hoover (Ala.) High defensive lineman Terrell Jones committed Monday to Illinois.

He is the 16th member of the Fighting Illini recruiting class, the first one fully recruited by head coach Bret Bielema.

Jones is unranked in the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

#AG2G 100% Committed. @PrestonnnG99 @CoachKaneIllini @CoachJamison @BretBielema @IlliniFootball @BucsFootball @JoshNiblett @RecruitHoover pic.twitter.com/HkDN2xVs43

— Terrell Jones (@JonesT2022) November 8, 2021

Terrell Jones fills a need in the Illinois recruiting class

Before Jones announced his commitment, Illinois was ranked at No. 57 in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking. They did not move following the announcement.

Terrell Jones is the first defensive line commit for the Fighting Illini this cycle. The team has been focused on recruiting on the other side of the ball. Only three of the team’s recruits are defensive players, plus two athletes.

The other two defenders are Oswego (Ill.) Oswego East three-star linebacker Jared Badie and Joliet (Ill.) Joliet Catholic Academy three-star safety Malachi Hood.

The Fighting Illini have had an up-and-down first season under Bielema. They are 4-6 on the season and 3-4 in the Big Ten. But two of those conference wins have come against ranked opponents on the road.

Three weeks ago, they upset Penn State in the 10 overtime game that will live in infamy. And this past weekend, they upset Minnesota in Minneapolis.

To further punctuate the roller coaster of a season it has been for Illinois, the Fighting Illini lost to Rutgers in between those two wins.