2025 athlete Andre Lovett commits to Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois has landed a commitment from an in-state athlete.

Blue Island (Ill.) Eisenhower three-star Andre Lovett pledged to the Fighting Illini on Monday. He is the nation’s No. 613 overall prospect, No. 37 athlete and No. 18 recruit from Illinois in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

#COMMITTED 🫡#famILLy 🟠⚪️@BretBielema @AaronHenry7 @adamgorney @EDGYTIM @AllenTrieu @Bryan_Ault @GregSmithRivals @RivalsPapiClint @dzoloty @CoachMurphIKE @CoachM_Willis @CoachDavidGibbs pic.twitter.com/fWGp9ovbQU

— Andre “Mr.WalkDown” Lovett (@andrelovett_cfk) March 11, 2024

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Lovett is the fourth player to pledge to Illinois’ 2025 recruiting class. He joins Saint Louis Cardinal Ritter College Prep three-star quarterback Carson Boyd, Tinley Park (Ill.) Victor J Andrew three-star interior offensive lineman Michael McDonough and Stoughton (Wis.) three-star offensive tackle Griffin Rousseau.

Illinois’ four commitments are good for No. 33 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

The Illini finished 46th in the 2024 recruiting cycle with 19 commits. Mount Pleasant (Mich.) four-star interior offensive lineman Andrew Dennis and Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C. top-30 JUCO EDGE Daniel Brown headlined the class.

“I have had a great relationship with the staff at Illinois for well over a year,” Dennis told On3 of his decision. “I had a lot of the questions that had already been answered going into the visit, so I was excited to meet the guys on the team and see how I meshed with them. The style of play, the coaching, and the guys on the team made me realize that it was the right fit.”

Bielema, of course, has a background coaching the offensive line, and that made for a natural fit with Dennis and his family.

The All-American interior lineman put a great emphasis on positional development and the program’s strength and conditioning program, but also the business schools and the fit away from the football field. Illinois checked off all those boxes in a big way.

“Coach B has had a tremendous history with developing his offensive line,” Dennis explained. “Looking at his past timeline, you can see how he prioritizes his guys up front.”

“The business school is one of the top programs in the country and the Big Ten,” he added. “They have a lot of Midwestern kids that are similar to me on and off of the field.”