Frederick Douglass DL Jamarrion Harkless Commits to Illinois

One of the fastest rising prospects from the state of Kentucky is concluding his recruitment a little earlier than expected. Sunday night Frederick Douglass defensive lineman Jamarrion Harkless announced his commitment to Illinois. Harkless pulled the trigger while on his official visit to Champaign.

The 6-foot-4 290-pound athlete is a three-star recruit. Harkless is a top 100 defensive tackle prospect according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Harkless blew up on the recruiting scene this spring when the Defending National Champion Georgia Bulldogs extended a scholarship offer. A dozen Power Five schools promptly followed suit, including Kentucky and Louisville. The Cards appeared to gain some momentum, Harkless scheduled an official visit for later in June, but Illinois never relented. Bret Bielema was all in on Harkless from day one and it paid off. The Fighting Illini have figured it out on the recruiting trail.

Even though Kentucky missed on this Douglas prospect, the Cats’ in-town recruiting pipeline is still flowing. 2023 ATH Ty Bryant is locked in with UK, putting at least one Frederick Douglass alum in three straight Kentucky football recruiting classes.