Joe Barna, three-star defensive lineman from Wheaton North, has committed to Illinois football after receiving offers from Big Ten rivals Indiana, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Illinois native announced his decision via Twitter.

Barna adds to an ever growing list of in-state recruits, and marks the 11th member of Illinois’ class of 2024. Standing at 6-foot-4 with a weight of 240 pounds, Barna is evaluated as the No. 120 2024 DL in the nation and No. 27 in Illinois by 247Sports.

In his most recent season, Barna displayed extreme burst when going at opposing offenses and racked up his fair share of multi-sack games. Even on plays that did not end in sacks, Barna’s presence led to fumbles, interceptions and an innumerable number of throwaway passes. Game film as far back as April 2022 can be found on Barna’s MaxPreps page. 

While it remains unclear whether or not Barna will get the opportunity to play alongside Illinois’ star DL duo of juniors Keith Randolph Jr. and Jer’Zhan Newton, Barna can at the very least look forward to training under the coaching staff who turned the pair into two of the best defensive players in the nation. 

@blountco21

[email protected]