North Dakota
Illini offer three-star tight end from North Dakota
Bret Bielema and the Illinois coaching staff continue to remain busy on the recruiting front after offering three-star tight end Ben Hynek on Thursday. And why shouldn’t they? The Illini have been on a roll lately.
Hynek, a junior tight end out of Stanley (North Dakota), is ranked No. 23 in the nation at his position and third overall in the state in the class of 2027, according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings. Hynek has eight offers so far, including two from Big Ten programs (Wisconsin and Minnesota) and two more out of the SEC (Auburn and Missouri).
The next step for the Illini will be lining up a visit to Champaign sometime this summer with Hynek, who went on two unofficial visits last month, to Minnesota and Iowa State. Hynek has excellent size for his age and position (6-foot-6, 245 pounds) and is a well-rounded athlete. He is also a pitcher on his high school baseball team and a shot-putter on the track squad.
Just as with any junior-to-be recruit, Hynek shouldn’t be expected to commit anytime soon. He has plenty of time before he needs to make a decision and will probably wind up fielding more offers from Power 4 programs over the summer.