Honestly I’m fine with not getting the Parker twins. They both have had a ton of injuries.
Illinois Football Recruiting Thread
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Honestly I’m fine with not getting the Parker twins. They both have had a ton of injuries.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
smokin': 4 star | 2027 WR | Argyle HS | 6’1 185 lbs | 4.0 GPA | 40yd: 4.47 | 100m: 10.9
Argyle, TX
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
another '27 TX WR we've offered:
He and his his Lakota West HS teammate, Cam Thomas, just may get LOTS of playing time.
I was curious about people's thoughts on them: whether we wanted them badly and missed out, or if we had a set ceiling due to their injury history. My bet is that if we lose out to MD, it's the latter.
I think the opportunity is wide open for both of them.
Dennis Briggs had a lot of injuries and worked out well for us. But it’s hard to count on guys like that
Not surprisedWe are not listed in these rankings at all, OTHER then one of our guys going to SC.
May mean nothing but wanted to share
College football's top 100 transfer portal players for 2026: Where they're headed and why they matter
There's a ton of talent on the move, and it has the potential to shift the balance of power across the college football landscapewww.cbssports.com
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
guess it's Texas WR day:
who knew?
who knew?
How about the LB Williams from Florida. same class as Cam Thomas. Had a good record in high school
illinidarrin
- from parts unknown
I'm more worried about time running out.
I think most of us on this board can appreciate that in more ways than one...
BB knows how much time is left. Players will be added
Time won’t ever run out. It’s the NCAA…they can’t regulate anything. They’re basically a mythical governing body.
Yes everybody knows we will fill the roster. How about the quality of said players?
They get around quicker than the crew in Landman.
Pat Embleton is the GM and responsible for all recruiting including transfers. The there are 2 or 3 people on staff - all they work on is the transfer portal 12 months a year. We will hear from them when something is going to happen. Illinois is typified as a "developmental program" meaning they can get the players that don't start at Ole Miss, Georgia or Florida state or who are dominant at Grambling or non P-4 schools into a position to play in the NFL. "We've done it before..." We ran the numbers (i.e. correlation to wins vs. recruiting rankings) and prior to the 2021 there was a correlation to 9+ win seasons and number of 5 - star high school recruits. But that correlation is barely statisitically significant in 2025.
Based on the three years of data we have, there is 0 (zero) positive correlation to transfer rankings and team wins. Candidly I need more data but we are well over 5,000 players at this point.
We also tried to find a way to get PFF grades (how existing players actually performed) impacted their new teams. We have used every AI tool we have. Can't get enough data.
One positive I am noting is where Illini players are now transferring to (the schools). That is really helpful as a recruiting tool. "If if doesn't work out, we can help you transfer to a school that is a better fit."
Now with all that said, other than McCollum, the players leaving aren't all that good (PFF wise) and we've seen them play. Given that there is only one portal period and players that haven't transferred yet are for the most part back in classes, we wont see much in terms of news for a bit.
The staff hasn't changed its focus. They question we need to answer - has our D been less competitive over the past 3 years owing to coaching, players or both. The confusing part for me is how can our players be transferring to better schools, when their actual performance on the field isn't so great? How can the coaches be helping them find spots at West Virginia, MSU and Purdue, when those players weren't great performers?
I don't think Xaver Scott or Matt Baily returns to Illinois if there wasn't some kind of plan in place.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
half the show is watching an F-450 trundle between Midland and Fort Worth, lol
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Class of 2027’ Springfield HS, OH 6’1 205 LB/SS I 3.45GPA
Williams is a terror. IMO for those worried about LB, I wouldn't be.
Kreutz is a hitter and solid. You know what you're getting and can't account for the senior leadership. After that you have Kante who is an athlete and versatile. Has been in the system. Don't know two much about the new Colo St. transfer but theres another LB with experience. Then you start getting to the young guns.
Beerman should be ready this year. As I mentioned Williams is hell on wheels. Maybe not initially in the LB rotation (More ST), but wouldn't be surprised. Thomas a versatile type like Kante but will be good either way as an athletic striker.
You also have Jack Paris who I think is going to start multiple years here at some point and would not surprise me if he is getting major reps this year. Cobbs is going to factor whether he bulks to LB or is in the SS role. Given that most times you'll see 1, maybe 2 LBs on the field in base, LB is fine. They have some really good talent.
blackdog
- Champaign
Have to be pretty excited about those young guys, fast, athletic, hard nosed.
Beerman, Williams, Paris, Cobb, . . .
So, who are these guys? We haven’t seen them play much in their primary roles yet.
Early in their careers, we could have asked the same “who are these guys” about Witherspoon, Joseph, Brown, Newton, Jacas, etc.
Certainly, the Illini coaches know more than we do. I am trusting Coach B and his staff to give us an entertaining and winning football season this year.
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