2022 Chicagoland athlete TJ Griffin commits to Illinois

TJ Griffin woke up Tuesday without any offers to play college football. None from a Power Five school. None from a Group of Five school. None from an FCS school.

When he goes to sleep Wednesday, Griffin won’t have to worry about that anymore. He is now a Power Five commit.

Griffin announced his commitment Wednesday afternoon to Illinois after receiving an offer from the Fighting Illini on Tuesday.

He had previous went on an unofficial visit to Champaign, Ill., at the end of October.

I'm all in!! #Committed #AGTG@Coach_Walters @CoachJamison @BretBielema @IlliniFootball @AAStaggFootball #Hometownhero pic.twitter.com/ErNtB7T2gt

— Timothy “TJ” Griffin Jr. (@Timothy01338927) November 10, 2021

TJ Griffin is an unrated wide receiver and defensive back out of Palos Hills (Ill.) Amos Alonzo Stagg located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

Despite being named after one of the 10th-winningest coach in colege football history, Amos Alonzo Stagg High struggled on the football field this season. They finished 0-9.

But Griffin was a shining light for the team. He grabbed 41 catches for 829 yards and 6 touchdowns. Those 829 yards marks a school single-season record. He also broke the school’s all-time career receiving yards record.

He also made 25 tackles and notched one interception on defense this season.

TJ Griffin is the 17th commit in the Illinois class

The Fighting Illini now have 17 commits in their 2022 recruiting class following TJ Griffin’s commitment.

Their highest-rated commit is three-star wide receiver Shawn Miller out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. The On3 Consensus – a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies – has Miller has the No. 429 overall player in the cycle.