5-star athlete Samuel M'Pemba visiting Illinois this weekend
IMG Academy five-star athlete Samuel M’Pemba out of St. Louis will spend the last weekend of November near his hometown visiting Illinois
M’Pemba announced the news Tuesday on Twitter, saying he will be in Champaign, Illinois, for the Fighting Illini’s rivalry game against Northwestern.
M’Pemba had a top 12 list of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas A&M, which he released in September. Oregon was also later added to the list.
Where Illinois fits in Samuel M’Pemba’s list is unknown.
The Fighting Illini and Wildcats will be facing off for the the Land of Lincoln Trophy. Illinois holds the slight historical advantage in the series, but Northwestern dominated the series in recent years.
The Wildcats have won the last six contests, and each by at least a touchdown. The six-game winning streak is the longest by Northwestern in the history of the rivalry.
If they win Saturday, the Wildcats will tie the seven-game win streak by Illinois from 1913-1928 and 1979-1985 for longest steak in the rivalry game’s history. The win would also put the all-time series at 55 win for each time — plus five ties.
Samuel M’Pemba is the No. 11 overall recruit in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
“He’s a twitchy athlete — 6-foot-4, 230-pounds — who played as a pass rusher and receiver at Ladue Horton Watkins High in Missouri prior to transferring to IMG Academy,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said. “He’s lined up as a tight end/h-back at IMG this fall. Ultimately we feel his highest upside is as a pass rusher. The stature, length and quickness are there for him to develop into a top rusher over time. The biggest variable is when or if M’Pemba will start to make that transition. Still, he’s a very physically-gifted prospect in the 2023 cycle.”