Benn’s impact could be far reaching

Now that receiver Arrelious Benn is committed to Illinois, giving coach Ron Zook his biggest recruiting prize in two years at the school, analysts will be watching to see if the surprising pickup leads more big names to choose the Illini.

Benn is arguably the top high school receiver in the country, and that Illinois was able to wrest him away from Notre Dame, Florida State and Maryland seemed miraculous to some.

But he’s not the only big-name player giving the Illini a look.

Top-100 players who have Illinois on their short lists reportedly include defensive tackle Marvin Austin, rated the No. 1 player in the country by Scout.com, defensive tackle D’Angelo McCray (No. 22), defensive end Martez Wilson (No. 28), running back Robert Hughes (No. 68) and defensive tackle Josh Brent (No. 70). The latter three are from Illinois.

“Watch and see the next few weeks, I have a feeling it will become a domino effect,’’ said Bob Lichtenfels, recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “I’ve talked to some kids who flat out told me Martez Wilson is the reason they committed to Illinois. It makes me think Martez Wilson will commit to Illinois, and he’s probably one of the top defensive end prospects in the country. If Martez goes, odds are Robert Hughes could go and Josh Brent.’’

Benn’s impact could be far reaching