Illini Grab "Hot 100" Linebacker

Dustin Jefferson, the #10 linebacker prospect, in the Midwest, according to Scout.com, had a lot of schools looking at him but Illinois stepped up with an early offer and the Illini received a verbal commitment from the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder today.

"We got home from camp today and Dustin just felt that he was ready to commit to Illinois," said Ira Jefferson, the father of Dustin Jefferson.

Ira Jefferson is also the head coach at Kankakee (Ill.) High School and he's seen his son grow the past few seasons into one of the top football prospects in the Land of Lincoln.

"After we got home today from Illinois, Dustin and I sat down and talked about recruiting a little bit. I think he got tired of all these other schools telling him he's close to getting an offer but not coming through.

"Dustin told me tonight he wanted to go to Illinois, so we went ahead and made the commitment."

Dustin Jefferson is the #71 prospect, in the Midwest, according to Scout.com, he'll be a 3-star prospect when rankings are released at the end of June.

As a junior, Jefferson had 113 tackles and 5 sacks. He was named all-state. Dustin will be a four-year varsity starter in 2005.