Jeremiah Tilmon to Illinois: Fighting Illini Land 5-Star PF Prospect

Jeremiah Tilmon, a 5-star power forward prospect from East St. Louis, Illinois, announced Monday he plans to play his college ball with the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Tilmon made things official with a post on Twitter: 

According to ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello, Tilmon selected Illinois over North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Michigan State and Missouri. 

"I feel that I trust them, and that's where my heart is telling me to be," Tilmon said, per Borzello. "I feel that they believe in me and will do everything in their power to get me where I want to be. I have a great relationship with the coaches, and Illinois is my home. East St. Louis is my hometown, I can't forget where I came from."

Not only is Tilmon the top-ranked player among 2017 recruits in the state of Illinois, but he's also the eighth-ranked power forward in the nation and the 23rd-ranked player overall. 

While it's still early in the 2017 recruitment process, the Illini have already made strides toward jump-starting the program when Tilmon arrives. According to 247Sports, Illinois ranks second only to UCLA in 2017 class rankings, with Tilmon, 4-star point guard DaMonte Williams and 3-star shooting guard Javon Pickett all in tow. 

A boost from the youngsters would be especially welcome since Illinois is coming off a losing season and hasn't qualified for the NCAA tournament since 2013. 

Recruit star ratings and information via 247Sports.