On3 Industry Ranking four-star IOL Andrew Dennis commits to Illinois

After three official visits, Andrew Dennis no longer needed until January to make up his mind. One of the nation’s top offensive lineman’s mind was officially made up.

Dennis, the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 24-ranked interior OL out of Mount Pleasant (Mich.) High School, committed to Illinois on Monday following his official visit to Champagne, his third official visit in as many weeks after a busy stretch in November with stops also to Penn State and Clemson, who finished right behind the Fighting Illini for the All-American from the Midwest.

Bret Bielema has been after Dennis since the spring and never took his foot off the gas — even after he pledged in-state to the Michigan State Spartans. Bielema and the Illini were persistent leading to an impactful official visit over the weekend.

“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.”

Illinois was last the host Dennis for an official visit, but the four-star OL has already been to Champagne on several visits in the past. He raved about the entire coaching staff’s approach from start to finish, and that fact played a big role in his decision.

“They were very respectful toward me during the whole process and they didn’t push me, they were always supportive,” Dennis said of the Illini coaching staff. “They believed in me before any Power 5 program did. They’ve been there since the beginning.”