Misguided based on what? A schools athletic revenue would seem to be a very good indicator of interest and following of an athletic department - and Illinois ranks 10th in the Big Ten.
NCAA Finances: Revenue & Expenses by School - USA TODAY
Which are the most profitable college athletic programs in the country? See a ranked listed, including total revenue and expenses. Brought to you by USA TODAY.sports.usatoday.com
Revenue is directly related to how good you currently are, and Illinois is not good. No recruit who picks Illinois thinks that, by his junior or senior year, Illinois won’t be a good football team playing in front of packed stadiums. Whether or not that’s delusional is beside the point, as it’s part of Illinois’ pitch. With a huge alumni base and getting coverage daily in Chicago and STL markets, you can see a pitch being made. Again, whether or not you think it’s BS is irrelevant because it’s part of Illinois’ pitch. I’ll tell you from personal experience that good Illini teams pick up a lot of bandwagon fans in Chicago, and that’s going to be a non-starter for a recruit who’s looking to maximize his exposure.
Again, the recruit isn’t banking on Illinois being as bad as they are now, as should be obvious. And before the obligatory Iowa response comes in that no one cares about Illinois in Chicago…
1) That’s not true, I live here. Way fewer people care than somewhere like DSM or Milwaukee. But there is a large Illini fan base here.
2) Even if it were true, that’s the state of things NOW when Illinois is bad. Again, this has to do with potential.
3) Even if it’s ALWAYS true (it’s not), Illinois is still one of 3 schools the Chicago media chooses to cover regularly. Even if 1% of the viewers care about Illinois, the kid’s name is still going to be said on TV in front of a lot of people.
I’m not even saying Illinois is some juggernaut for NIL or better than Iowa or anything, but it isn’t exactly Kansas State. Not even close.
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