I know I'm stating the obvious, but building a football program is hard. I don't think I had an appreciation for just how hard until Coach B got into his role. All this work up till now, many many hours I would say is still just setting the foundation for what this program will be moving forward. Building in-roads, setting culture, hiring the right coaches, hitting on player evaluations, finding diamonds in the rough, getting lucky, demonstrating success...all of this has now finally paid off to where I see that this program has really taken a next step to where it is a destination that people want to go vs. us having to always sell them that this is where they want to go. Excited to see how we do next year! Can't wait for the end of summer!
Illinois Football Recruiting Thread
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SampsonRelpenk
- Edwardsville, IL
Right now I feel like you have to give Indiana a slight edge due to making the playoff, but one could reasonably hope this is a Tortoise and the Hare situation.
Agreed on tortoise and hare. Indiana hasn’t had enough time to build the kind of foundation Brett has been methodically constructing.
agree . I feel good about our chances . we’ll know in 3 weeks .
You just can't beat that. You can only tie it.
I am one of those people — pays attention to football for 4-5 months and almost exclusively basketball the remaining 7-8. I’ve obviously seen the string of commitments on the main page but haven’t taken the time to parse things out. Care to enlighten me (and maybe others) with a quick summary of why we should be especially excited?
The commitments represent a much higher level of recruit over previous years. As one example, our top recruit in the 2026 class is (per 247 composite) our highest rated recruit since Terry Hawthorne in 2009. But more importantly, we are pulling in more top-500, top-1000 recruits than in prior years, and more recruits with impressive offer sheets. We are winning recruiting battles against established Big Ten and SEC programs.
This is so true. I just recently spent a week visiting family in Pittsburgh. They are completely disheartened by what has happened to the Pitt program in general. I tried to tell them a couple years ago that high level NCAA Sports was changing. I told them that Illinois was positioning itself very well under the leadership of our AD (Josh Whitman). I told them then that there are going to be a lot of schools left out in the cold, much to their surprise, when the dust settles. If a school can't generate the revenue and the NIL, they will not be in the major conferences calling the new "NCAA" rules. IMHO there will be 3 super-conferences. My family are now talking about Pitt only focusing on BB and joining something like the Big East. They know they can't afford to compete in football any longer , nota t the highest level. They don't have that kind of alumni base. I know that at best the Pittsburgh area fan base is at least equally Penn State fans versus Pitt. Then add OSU and WVU fans as well. Pitt, only brings about 1/3 of the Pittsburgh area CFB fans, and unfortunately not enough additional viewer revenue, . It is kind of hard for Western Pennsyvania football fans to accept that Pitt's days as a football power are over.
Yes, I think generally offer sheet > rankings and large sample size of rankings > individual rankings. For the latter, what I mean is that an individual rankings in isolation doesn't mean much, but if you look at how many top 500 or top 1000 recruits are we getting from class to class, I think that does tell you something about general trajectory because the larger sample size to at least some extent masks the effects of any particularly bad evaluation.I remember when our recruits only had MAC offers
Still once you get past first 100 it comes down to coaches talent assesment
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
Personally, I was strictly referring to the latest RB commit. That kid is impressive, IMO.
But, yes, overall it holds true, too. The recruiting has improved drastically, at least if you use offers as a measuring stick. Illinois is beating legitimate football programs. SEC backups and role players >>>>> MAC starters.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Let’s be honest, if we had Indiana’s schedule last year, we are probably in the playoff
illinidarrin
- from parts unknown
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
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C/O 26 |6’3 235lbs Edge | Sarasota, FL:
247sports.com
C/O 26 |6’3 235lbs Edge | Sarasota, FL:
Asharri Charles, Miami Hurricanes, Edge
Multi-sport athlete. –––– TRACK & FIELD -As an 8th grader, won county championships in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, per Atheltic.net -Top markers from...
247sports.com
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This is incredibly early in the process right? 2.5 years before getting on campus.
Any thought to a reclass? Does any of the other teams need a QB? Clayton verballed for 2026.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
2028 Bolingbrook hs varsity triple sport athlete 6’6 220 |Max preps All American:
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
#4 RB Class of 2027 VR (6,0 height) 220 pounds, Bolingbrook:
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Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
it's early. but if he enrolls early (which seems likely), it's more like 1.75 years.
reclass: haven't heard anything there. find it highly unlikely
mhuml32
Gesture of Northern Aggression
Never seen it happen before in CFB for a quarterback. Just too much to learn and strength to add. Bryce Underwood is a tank and he even didn't consider it.
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