New Illini Commit Hopes Opportunity To Play Offense and Defense Emerges

New 2021 verbal commit Prince Green says the Illini coaching staff has told him he’ll get a chance to make an impact on both sides of the football.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- While a two-way player may seem like a foreign concept with Illinois football but Prince Green wants to break down that barrier.

The newest verbal commitment of the Illini’s 2021 recruiting class told Illini Now/Sports Illustrated in an exclusive interview Tuesday that he’s being sold on the idea of not only being a productive cornerback in Lovie Smith’s defense but also utilized in offensive packages as at wide receiver.

Green was extensively recruited by Illinois defensive ends coach Jimmy Lindsey and defensive backs coach Keynodo Hudson but Green said he was told by several Illinois coaches during his virtual campus visit last week that the possibility of playing offense could be explored during his college career.

“Illinois hasn’t promised me that but just for them to be open to that was exciting to me. I feel I can be a weapon to the Illini in every aspect of the game." - Illini 2021 commit Prince Green

“The two coaches who recruited me said there is a possibility of playing offense and I’m excited about potentially being able to do that with the Illini,” Green said. “Illinois hasn’t promised me that but just for them to be open to that was exciting to me. I feel I can be a weapon to the Illini in every aspect of the game.”

Green said the Illini coaching staff has presented a recruitment to him that the three-star prospect could be the next “face of the franchise” that Illinois is trying to build in future years under Smith’s leadership.

“There’s two things that sold me on Illinois and number one is they’ve told me I can be the face of their franchise they’re building there and the second is getting to play for somebody with an NFL background that has a proven track record of knowing what it takes to play at the next level,” Green said. “I believe them when they say they want me to be a difference-maker at Illinois. They’ve been there for me since day one or the day they hired Coach Lindsey.”

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect currently is used at both positions for Class AAAAA Griffin (Ga.) High School and said he received interest to play on both sides of the ball from Kentucky, Minnesota and Kansas, while also receiving attention from nearby FBS power Georgia Tech.

Former Illinois player Kevin Hayden played wide receiver and cornerback for the Illini in back-to-back years before playing eight season in the National Football League / University of Illinois athletics department

One of the most prominent Illinois players in the last two decades to see action on both sides of the ball in his college career was Kelvin Hayden. Before being drafted in the second round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2005, Hayden led the Fighting Illini in receptions (52) and receiving yards (592) in 2003 before switching to cornerback the following season and started all 11 games and had 71 tackles and four interceptions.

Green, who is only the second high school commit to the Illini’s class is very interested in breaking this trend at Illinois and around the modern college football game that suggests specific positions for every signed prospect.

According to the recruiting services websites, Green is listed on 247Sports.com as a wide receiver prospect and Rivals.com lists him simply as an athlete. The first priority for Green will likely be to provide depth immediately in the defensive backfield after Illinois loses projected 2020 cornerback starters Tony Adams and Nate Hobbs to graduation. However, this apparent pitch to the Atlanta-area native may be a solid recruiting strategy by the Illini coaching staff to prevent more local options from swaying Green to reconsider his verbal pledge to Illinois.

“I’ve talked about it with my family and it’s just a 90-minute plane trip from Atlanta to get to Illinois. They have at least four flights to and from daily so my family will be closer than you think,” Green said. “As far as my commitment goes, all I can tell you is I want to be an Illini.”