This is a major reason why Lovie Smith and the coaching staff are going after class of 2017 running back Chase Hayden.
Hayden is a 4-star all-purpose running back out of Germantown, Tennessee. He is the 7th best all-purpose running back in the class of 2017 and the 12th best player in the state of Tennessee.
On Thursday night, Hayden decided to cut his list of schools down to five and Illinois made that list. The other four programs were Arkansas, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
TOP 5 S/O to @Hayesfawcett3 for the edit!