Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn commits to Illinois Fighting Illini

Late last week, the Illinois Fighting Illini picked up a key commitment in the 2023 recruiting cycle. One-time Purdue commit Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn gave his verbal to Brad Underwood and his new staff.

Gibbs-Lawhorn comes out of Lafayette, Indiana and is currently rated a four-star by both 247Sports and the 247Sports Composite. He transferred to Florida for his final two seasons in high school and plays for Montverde Academy. The guard averaged 16.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3 assists per game this summer on the EYBL Circuit.

The 247 Composite also rates Gibbs-Lawhorn as the No. 14 combo guard in his class, the No. 8 prospect in Florida, and the No. 70 recruit in his class nationally. The recruiting site lists him at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds and he clearly appears to be trending up on the 2023 cycle. Meanwhile, Rivals lists him as a four-star prospect as well.

Gibbs-Lawhorn was originally committed to hometown program Purdue. However, he announced his decommitment back in August.

Along with Illinois and Purdue, he also had offers from fellow Big Ten program Indiana and home state Butler. He also held an offer from Memphis.

Illinois currently has three commitments in its 2023 recruiting class with the addition of Gibbs-Lawhorn. He joins power forwards Amani Hansberry of Baltimore, Maryland and Zacharie Perrin of Wichita, Kansas.