The Skinny: OSU Lands a Talented QB in the 2020 Class

Oklahoma State made a nice addition to their 2020 class last Wednesday with the commitment of four-star quarterback Shane Illingworth. Kyle Cox wrote about the initial commitment, and now I’ll dive in a little deeper into what this means for OSU moving forward.

The Data

Who Is He?

About a week ago I wrote about three players I’d like to see OSU land in the 2020 class. I mentioned Illingworth because I thought he would be a huge get for Gundy and Gleeson, he seemed really excited about the offer from the Pokes, and he has family ties to Oklahoma.  In addition, after missing out on 2020 quarterbacks Evan Prater and Tyler Van Dyke, I thought Gleeson would put the full court press on Illingworth and do his best to not let another talented guy land elsewhere. Well, it worked out in OSU’s favor as Illingworth committed pretty soon after his initial offer.

Last season at Norco High School, Illingworth threw for 2,739 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a completion percentage of 63.3 percent. He also rushed for one touchdown. Illingworth led the Cougars to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

Recruiting Profile (247)

National: No. 193
Pro: No. 8
California: No. 16

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Note: ESPN and Rivals.com both have Illingworth rated as a four-star prospect.

Top Offers: The California native holds plenty of offers from major programs, such as Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisville, Missouri and Washington State. In addition, California, Notre Dame, UCLA and USC have all reportedly shown interest in the young QB.

Illingworth recently took official visits to both Arkansas and Louisville, and committed shortly after the Louisville visit. He is planning to take an official visit to Stillwater around June 12, which is during an OSU camp period.

How He’d Fit in Stillwater

I was able to watch Illingworth and Norco take on Rancho Cucamonga, who made it to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Norco rushed for nearly 400 yards on the ground and six touchdowns in this game, so they didn’t need much from Illingworth in terms of the passing attack, but I was still pretty impressed from watching this film.

When scouting a QB, I like to first look at his footwork and general mechanics. I think Illingworth has solid footwork, although he did take a few choppy, extra steps at times. In addition, he stands tall in the pocket, and I mean really tall at 6-6, holds the ball in a good “triangle” position, and has a quick, smooth release. Here you see him complete a ball to the outside.

Illingworth also has incredible arm talent and is very accurate on the deep ball, as you can see in the video below.

I wouldn’t consider the Norco product a “dual-threat”, clocking in with a 4.92 40-yard dash at The Opening Regional he attended. However, he did move pretty well outside the pocket and could pick up some yards with his feet when needed. You see this below in his touchdown run against Rancho Cucamonga.

Illingworth was also very accurate when he had to throw on the run.

As I mentioned earlier, I was very impressed after watching Illingworth’s film and highlight tapes. He has the arm strength and accuracy to complete pretty much any throw on the field, and has good athleticism and mobility for his size. There were times when he held onto the ball a little too long, as he was sacked twice in the game I watched, but overall I didn’t see much I didn’t like from the young QB.