Illinois Football Recruiting Thread

[illinidarrin]

You do realize the number going around for Lopati is 3-4 million and he won’t play as a freshman. I would rather that money go to someone who will make an impact right away.

If we don’t crap the bed against Washington and Wisconsin we probably make the playoffs and the conversation is different.

Your statement was essentially that the football program didn't deserve as much money as the basketball program. The reason why they got to the Final 4 is because they had enough money to go out and get top players. If the football program can't get the money it needs to go out and get high quality recruits and transfers, then it it's impossible for them to make the CFP. The football team didn't have a good transfer class on paper this year because apparently they didn't have enough money to get the some top transfers. That could end up costing us on the field this year and we can't afford to have that happen. 1 bad season could set us back a few years again.

 

[suburbanILLINI]

Illinois football fans should be very disappointed in our recutting.
I am very happy with and supportive of Coach B and our results on the field are just short of amazing. But our recruiting just doesn’t measure up to our BIG10 rivals.
Do they have more money than us…possibly but I seem to remember a 10 million dollar donation not very long ago.
Maybe a few less money for Generals(coaches) and a a few more $ for the troops.

This cycle - yes; up to this point in BB's tenure - I disagree. Last year's class was ranked #27 which is the highest since the Zooker.
It will take another 2-3 years of solid on-field results for most outside people to have a positive perception of the program. We had quite the hole to dig out of and it takes time to change people's minds

 

[therealmiket86]

Your statement was essentially that the football program didn't deserve as much money as the basketball program. The reason why they got to the Final 4 is because they had enough money to go out and get top players. If the football program can't get the money it needs to go out and get high quality recruits and transfers, then it it's impossible for them to make the CFP. The football team didn't have a good transfer class on paper this year because apparently they didn't have enough money to get the some top transfers. That could end up costing us on the field this year and we can't afford to have that happen. 1 bad season could set us back a few years again.

After the elite 8 more money went into the program. Teams like Duke still spent a lot more than we did. Also donors are giving money for basketball. What are going to do twist their arm and make them give to the football team?

The football team spent money on a qb and skill players. Also spent money getting guys like X and Matt to come back. They also spent more money on the 26 prep class. For Reference Houser cost 3 million. I would much rather that kinda money go to a transfer than Lopati. It’s crazy that Michigan will be paying big money to 2 qb’s at the same time. Realistically Lopati will sit for 2 years behind Underwood.

 

[IlliniWu]

shark alert:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043807388990321014

big sad for Shane, lol

Is he still visiting here? Major WR target and would be a real game changer in this offense.

 

[Lakes333]

It does not seem like we are close to landing some of our top targets in this recruiting class. Need some four stars to pick up some momentum. Any insight on any guys that we are about to close on that have high major offers?

 

[Illinisam]

This cycle - yes; up to this point in BB's tenure - I disagree. Last year's class was ranked #27 which is the highest since the Zooker.
It will take another 2-3 years of solid on-field results for most outside people to have a positive perception of the program. We had quite the hole to dig out of and it takes time to change people's minds

Yes! Rome was not built overnight. Basketball is a totally different animal than football. We finally have a coach that is ‘committed’ to this program whereas others weren’t or not good enough. BB is both. Another couple of years and things will be great. We finally had two consecutive winning seasons. When’s the last time that happened? Mackcovic? You don’t change kids minds after one or two years. We now have an identity. I trust BB to get us to where we want to go.

 

[Red77sng]

That’s good but it’s not the same as going to an elite 8 and final 4

Well than you will never see the football team in a national championship game

 

[pvaughn8]

Illinois football fans should be very disappointed in our recutting.
I am very happy with and supportive of Coach B and our results on the field are just short of amazing. But our recruiting just doesn’t measure up to our BIG10 rivals.
Do they have more money than us…possibly but I seem to remember a 10 million dollar donation not very long ago.
Maybe a few less money for Generals(coaches) and a a few more $ for the troops.

I kind of expected maybe underwhelming on the defensive side due to the changes, but not the offensive recruiting

 

[SummerofGeorge]

I think we all saw this coming.....

https://twitter.com/x/status/2043757512034320454

Must have had his fingers crossed behind his back when he “committed.”

 

[therealmiket86]

i wondered how long it would take for that jump.

You realize that several college teams are spending over 40 million for football. I think we spent around 12 million last year for basketball where some schools were over 20 million.

 

[therealmiket86]

Yes! Rome was not built overnight. Basketball is a totally different animal than football. We finally have a coach that is ‘committed’ to this program whereas others weren’t or not good enough. BB is both. Another couple of years and things will be great. We finally had two consecutive winning seasons. When’s the last time that happened? Mackcovic? You don’t change kids minds after one or two years. We now have an identity. I trust BB to get us to where we want to go.

That’s why we really fumbled the bag not making a bowl game in 23. It changes the perception of the program to say we’ve been to 4 consecutive bowl games. I’m sure if we have some high profile wins it’ll help get more money going to the program.

not winning the big ten west in 2022 was also another time we didn’t capitalize.

 

[skyIdub]

Basically, Illinois Football is Daffy Duck after Bugs Bunny tricks him in the "Football School/Basketball School" back and forth and Elmer Fudd fires the shotgun into his beak after confirming "Basketball School FIRE!"

 

[myspace]

Gross. Bye Felicia.

 

[AirTran]

That’s why we really fumbled the bag not making a bowl game in 23. It changes the perception of the program to say we’ve been to 4 consecutive bowl games. I’m sure if we have some high profile wins it’ll help get more money going to the program.

not winning the big ten west in 2022 was also another time we didn’t capitalize.

Then how do you explain the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes and the 2024 and 2025 transfers? Those were the best classes we have had for years. This year, there is clearly "something in the air" that is being told to high level recruits about Illinois. Whatever it is (and I have no idea), it's working. Our available NIL spend capability is at an all - time high and we have 1 recruit so far. This looks like a Lovie Smith recruiting year.

 

[Homecoming 2019]

FI_8905 is a real one.

It's a shame with how well Bret's done, but fan support is genuinely exponentially greater for basketball than football.

My personal anecdote to that is just this last season I went to The Illini bar in Chicago, Finley Dunnes for a football game multiple times this season, always found a seat, once it was legit completely empty. For basketball, I've genuinely been concerned about the fire code compliance, you have to head to nearby bars that end up also being packed.

 

[AirTran]

You realize that several college teams are spending over 40 million for football. I think we spent around 12 million last year for basketball where some schools were over 20 million.

. Direct Revenue Sharing (The "Salary Cap")
Under the new NCAA model, schools can directly share roughly 22% of average athletic revenue with athletes .

• Initial Cap: Estimated at $20.5 million per school for the 2025–2026 year .
• 2026–2027 Projection: The cap is set to increase by 4% annually, placing it at approximately $21.3 million to $22 million for the 2026–2027 season .
• Football's Share: While schools have discretion, experts expect roughly 75% ($15M–$16M) of this pool to be allocated to football rosters .

2. Estimated Total NIL & Roster Spending (Top 20 Programs)
Top-tier programs are expected to supplement the revenue-sharing cap with an additional $10 million to $20 million from third-party NIL collectives .

Rank	Program	Estimated Total Roster Spend (2026–27)
1	Texas	$23.0M+ (Projected high-end of $30M total)
2	Ohio State	$20.2M
3	LSU	$20.1M
4	Georgia	$18.3M
5	Texas A&M	$17.2M
6	Michigan	$16.3M
7	Alabama	$15.9M
8	Florida	$15.8M
9	Clemson	$15.2M
10	Oklahoma	$14.8M
11	Penn State	$13.7M
12	Indiana	$13.6M
13	Michigan State	$13.0M
14	Virginia	$12.7M
15	Tennessee	$11.6M
16	Auburn	$11.58M
17	Arkansas	$11.5M
18	Kentucky	$11.2M
19	Oregon	$10.6M
20	Florida State	$10.0M

Estimates based on On3 and collective leader reports as of early 2026

 

[orangem]

I’m guessing we bring in a transfer to compete with Boyd and Clayton.

I agree that if we keep Boyd and Clayton in the fold, perhpas Lopati isn't the best use of our limited money when he likely would not have won the job as a true freshman and then would have left anyways.

 

[JucoIllini10]

The lack of early commitments is frustrating but there haven't been any real red flags yet with how the staff is recruiting this class. The majority of the staff's top targets have not signed elsewhere so it is too early to panic.

Staff pursued a top in-state QB in Trae Taylor but couldn't compete with Nebraska's NIL. They pivot to Lopati but he blows up and Michigan NIL is hard to beat. With back-to-back solid QB recruits the previous 2 years (Boyd and Clayton), the staff could afford to take some big shots with QB recruiting this class instead of locking in a safer/cheaper option early.

The only real misses so far would be missing out on the 3 safeties (Mattison to Michigan, Lofton to Mizzou, and Thies to Iowa) and Jack Brown (TE committed to Mizzou). Offering Thies late feels like a poor decision but I'm certainly not an expert on scouting high school football. Losing our DC/Safety coach likely did not help in these recruiting battles but hopefully this defense is better off in the long run because of that change. Justin Johnson is still a great start to DB recruiting for this class.

 

[Simeon Rice]

The lack of early commitments is frustrating but there haven't been any real red flags yet with how the staff is recruiting this class. The majority of the staff's top targets have not signed elsewhere so it is too early to panic.

Define red flags. '27 is one of the deepest in-state classes in years, if not decades, and we almost assuredly won't touch the top 10 and barely register for the next 10-25. Our neighbor rivals have far more momentum in our own state. And this in an era when you don't need years of overperformance on the field. Instead, you need a little bit of a pitch and a bunch of NIL.

 

[Kendall Gill’s Uncle]

Define red flags. '27 is one of the deepest in-state classes in years, if not decades, and we almost assuredly won't touch the top 10 and barely register for the next 10-25. Our neighbor rivals have far more momentum in our own state. And this in an era when you don't need years of overperformance on the field. Instead, you need a little bit of a pitch and a bunch of NIL.

I’m with you. Great post.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Define red flags. '27 is one of the deepest in-state classes in years, if not decades, and we almost assuredly won't touch the top 10 and barely register for the next 10-25. Our neighbor rivals have far more momentum in our own state. And this in an era when you don't need years of overperformance on the field. Instead, you need a little bit of a pitch and a bunch of NIL.

The staff changes may have been more of a downgrade on the recruiting front than we’d like to think.

Not even a full year back — we did some serious work.

 

[IlliniWu]

Define red flags. '27 is one of the deepest in-state classes in years, if not decades, and we almost assuredly won't touch the top 10 and barely register for the next 10-25. Our neighbor rivals have far more momentum in our own state. And this in an era when you don't need years of overperformance on the field. Instead, you need a little bit of a pitch and a bunch of NIL.

Justin Johnson is a top 10 prospect.

 

[AirTran]

After the elite 8 more money went into the program. Teams like Duke still spent a lot more than we did. Also donors are giving money for basketball. What are going to do twist their arm and make them give to the football team?

The football team spent money on a qb and skill players. Also spent money getting guys like X and Matt to come back. They also spent more money on the 26 prep class. For Reference Houser cost 3 million. I would much rather that kinda money go to a transfer than Lopati. It’s crazy that Michigan will be paying big money to 2 qb’s at the same time. Realistically Lopati will sit for 2 years behind Underwood.

Illinois earned approximately $10.5 million in NCAA tournament units for the Big Ten Conference by reaching the 2026 Final Four. In addition to this, the program boasted significant NIL value, with key players leading national merchandise sales and guard Keaton Wagler holding an estimated $1.5 million NIL valuation.
NCAA Tournament Revenue (Units)

• Total Revenue: Illinois earned five units for the Big Ten by reaching the Final Four, with each unit valued at roughly $2.1 million (totaling $10.5 million).
• Distribution: These units are paid to the conference and distributed to members over a six-year period.

Where are you getting your information?

 

[AirTran]

Illinois earned approximately $10.5 million in NCAA tournament units for the Big Ten Conference by reaching the 2026 Final Four. In addition to this, the program boasted significant NIL value, with key players leading national merchandise sales and guard Keaton Wagler holding an estimated $1.5 million NIL valuation.
NCAA Tournament Revenue (Units)

• Total Revenue: Illinois earned five units for the Big Ten by reaching the Final Four, with each unit valued at roughly $2.1 million (totaling $10.5 million).
• Distribution: These units are paid to the conference and distributed to members over a six-year period.

Where are you getting your information?

Illinois accepted an invitation to the 2025 Music City Bowl against Tennessee. While the specific payout for the 2025 game is not explicitly listed in the results, the Music City Bowl has previously featured payouts in the range of US$5.7 million. Bowl payouts typically go to the conference to be distributed among member schools, rather than directly to the school

 

[jamie13197]

?? There are very, very few schools that have deep enough pockets to spend top of market $$$ on both sports and see that return on investment.

Frankly, it's much easier to spend big $$$ on basketball and see it directly translate to winning. There's also only 15 roster spots (with maybe 8-9 guys actually getting NIL money) in comparison to what, 80 football spots?

Illinois is and always has been a basketball school. It's less of an investment financially for a school like us to win a championship in basketball vs football.

Yet we've never won a championship in Basketball, very few conference championship either. Our alumni don't care as much as most schools. Including small universities. Will always be. Plus, we haven't had 1 High school quarterback see the field under coachB. No big deal. DO better in the Portal. This season was a disaster.