Give Illini coaches Ron Turner and Lon Kruger an "A" for crystal-balling.

Turner, combining knowledge from a revealing summer camp with the strong efforts of assistant Greg McMahon, got a commitment from Chris Morton before the football season, and the speedy Morton went out this fall to become the most prolific passer in Missouri history, carrying Riverview Gardens to the 5A state title.

Lon Kruger, analyzing Brett Melton during the summer prior to his junior year, surprised even the Mahomet-Seymour faithful by tendering Melton a scholarship even though it left the UI with only one for the tall junior trio of Darius Miles, Andre Brown and Reo Logan (all three have been offered) ... and Melton responded with a withering 22-for-35 three-point salvo in his first three basketball games.

It never ceases, this recruiting business, and it'll reach the football flood stage the next three weekends as Turner brings 40-plus athletes to campus for official visits.

Morton, one of five already committed orally, will visit this weekend along with quality in-staters such as halfback Chuck Frazier and linebacker Ben Henderson of Chicago Hubbard, 245-pound Thornwood defender Darrell Campbell, Proviso East superathlete Phil Macklin, Rich Central guard Aaron Hodges and Chatham Glenwood tight end Ken Boyle (son of former UI trustee Kenneth Boyle).

Reports indicate Macklin may not qualify. If that's ultimately the case, the special athlete might be handled like Antoineo Harris, who sat out his freshman year.

Reception good so far

Turner has 22 scholarships to distribute among 40-odd possibilities, of which roughly half are in-staters.

The points he seems anxious to make are (1) reception is excellent despite the UI's 3-19 record since his arrival, (2) his in-house personnel evaluations don't necessarily agree with published reports, most of which stem from recruiting guru Tom Lemming.

"Our record hasn't been a problem in terms of getting visits," Turner said. "There are a lot of good young prospects out there who see an opportunity to play at Illinois. I don't see any hesitancy in that regard. As for Lemming, he is one resource that we use, but we don't make any decisions until we have completed our own evaluations."

What we find is Kankakee McNamara's Tim Olmstead, labeled by Lemming as one of the top two linebacking prospects in the Midwest, is not on Turner's blue-chip list after a so-so season ... St. Viator's Jarrett Payton, son of Walter Payton, is sought as an "athlete" but not as a quarterback ... Mt. Carmel receiver Octavius Bond, who'll visit the second weekend with linebacking teammate Jerry Schumacher, rates particularly high as the Illini appear to trail in bids for crack receiving prospects Jon Schweighardt of Wheaton and Yaacov Yisrael of Palatine.

UI needs help across the board

What positions need help?

Practically everywhere. Cornerbacks are a priority because Asim Pleas, Tony Francis and Johnny Rogers will be seniors. Linebackers are critical because the position is frightfully thin, and Danny Clark and Eric Guenther will be seniors. Defensive line is always a concern because quality pass rushers are so hard to find.

Offensively, Turner would like to bring in four or five linemen and a pair of fullbacks for when upcoming seniors Elmer Hickman and Chris Hoffman graduate. One of the UI's deepest positions is running back, but that won't slow efforts to bring in special talents like Hubbard's Frazier and Mississippian Dantae Walker.

As for receiver, don't look for a savior from within the state. Turner has a commitment from Rantoul's Dwayne Smith, but there's no acrobat like D'Wayne Bates (Northwestern) hanging around the UI stage door. Turner needs to pull one out of the hat. With Morton in the fold, there is no greater priority.

How is Turner doing overall?

We have to take his word, but basically it's so far, so good. He has locked up the best player in Missouri and is challenging for all but three or four of the best in Illinois. The chances appear reasonably good for landing Campbell, Hodges, Boyle, Frazier, Schumacher, Macklin and Leyden's 222-pound Jon Kowalyshen, all of whom would make anybody's list of the state's top dozen.

Out of state is another question. Bobby Jackson's brother, Marc, is a possibility, but it's a rugged world out there.

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette.