By Jon Mahoney, Special to SI.com, from RISE

Dunbar (Washington, D.C.) senior wide receiver Arrelious Benn committed to Illinois this evening over Maryland, Notre Dame and Florida State. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder is rated the nation's No. 1 wide receiver and the No. 7 overall recruit in the Class of 2007 by RISE.

Benn's pledge to the Illini means that head coach Ron Zook has pulled off the recruiting coup of the year. But that isn't a big surprise if you've followed Zook, who was a tremendous recruiter when he was the head coach at Florida.

The fact that Zook was able to snare Benn away from Benn's close to home school, Maryland, and two traditional powers in Notre Dame and Florida State speaks volumes about what Illinois is accomplishing on the recruiting trail.

Last year alone, Illinois picked up the likes of current freshman standouts like quarterback Juice Williams and Benn's former high school teammate, corner Vontae Davis.

Stay tuned to see if Benn's commitment will lead other high-profile recruits to pick Illinois.

As a junior, Benn tore up opposing defenses en route to 50 receptions for 1,147 yards and 17 touchdowns. This year, he has 41 receptions for 800 yards and six scores.