Illinois recruiting
Class of 2026
National rank
No. 24
Commits
31
4-star or better
5
Avg stars
3.17
| Player | Pos | Stars | Rating | Nat. rank | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Hankins Jr. | CB | ★★★★ | 0.9444 | No. 135 | Belleville, IL · Belleville West |
| Champ Smith | IOL | ★★★★ | 0.9166 | No. 231 | Vero Beach, FL · Vero Beach |
| Nas Rankin | ATH | ★★★★ | 0.9059 | No. 308 | Chicago, IL · Morgan Park |
| Kai Pritchard | IOL | ★★★★ | 0.8960 | No. 416 | Toms River, NJ · Donovan Catholic |
| Jacob Eberhart | LB | ★★★★ | 0.8952 | No. 422 | St. Louis, MO · Kirkwood |
| Parker Crim | EDGE | ★★★ | 0.8889 | No. 508 | Elida, OH · Elida |
| Almirian Thomas | CB | ★★★ | 0.8889 | No. 508 | Cape Coral, FL · Cape Coral |
| Cameron Thomas | LB | ★★★ | 0.8867 | No. 554 | West Chester, OH · Lakota West |
| Kenyon Alston | WR | ★★★ | 0.8867 | No. 554 | Orlando, FL · Bishop Moore Catholic |
| Davon Grant | WR | ★★★ | 0.8822 | No. 665 | DeKalb, IL · DeKalb |
| Casey Thomann | OT | ★★★ | 0.8811 | No. 704 | Olney, IL · Richland County |
| Tony Balanganayi | DL | ★★★ | 0.8811 | No. 704 | Palatine, IL · Palatine |
| Javari Barnett | RB | ★★★ | 0.8789 | No. 774 | Tampa, FL · Tampa Bay Tech |
| Isaiah Williams | S | ★★★ | 0.8767 | No. 833 | Missouri City, TX · Fort Bend Marshall |
| Jaylen Stewart | EDGE | ★★★ | 0.8767 | No. 833 | Pearland, TX · Pearland |
| Tony Williams | LB | ★★★ | 0.8744 | No. 921 | Jacksonville, FL · Raines |
| Kayden Bennett | EDGE | ★★★ | 0.8733 | No. 966 | Suffield, CT · Suffield Academy |
| King Liggins | DL | ★★★ | 0.8733 | No. 966 | Chicago, IL · Brother Rice |
| Jacob Alexander | EDGE | ★★★ | 0.8733 | No. 966 | Frankfort, IL · Lincoln-Way East |
| Landen Von Seggern | IOL | ★★★ | 0.8700 | No. 1114 | Omaha, NE · Millard South |
| Kingston Shaw | EDGE | ★★★ | 0.8667 | No. 1263 | Orlando, FL · The First Academy |
| Kaedyn Cobbs | LB | ★★★ | 0.8667 | No. 1263 | Denton, TX · Denton Guyer |
| Will Vala | TE | ★★★ | 0.8667 | No. 1263 | Downers Grove, IL · Downers Grove North |
| Michael Clayton II | QB | ★★★ | 0.8644 | No. 1358 | Miami, FL · Miami Edison |
| Nelsyn Wheeler | RB | ★★★ | 0.8633 | No. 1438 | Omaha, NE · Millard South |
| Leslie Mosley Jr. | WR | ★★★ | 0.8500 | No. 2052 | West Palm Beach, FL · Cardinal Newman |
| Caden Considine | LB | ★★★ | 0.8350 | No. 2743 | Byron, IL · Byron |
| Jacob Harvey | WR | ★★★ | 0.8300 | No. 2846 | Mt. Zion, IL · Mt. Zion |
| Jack Gray | P | ★★★ | 0.8244 | No. 3096 | Australia · ProKick Australia |
| Nate Cichy | WR | Unrated | Unrated | Not ranked | Mount Prospect, IL · Prospect |
| Dane Eisenmenger | QB | Unrated | Unrated | Not ranked | Tolono, IL · Unity |
Class of 2025
National rank
No. 45
Commits
21
4-star or better
1
Avg stars
3.05
| Player | Pos | Stars | Rating | Nat. rank | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Beerman | LB | ★★★★ | 0.8933 | No. 425 | West Chester, OH · Lakota West |
| Brayden Trimble | WR | ★★★ | 0.8878 | No. 514 | Mt. Zion, IL · Mt. Zion |
| John Forster | RB | ★★★ | 0.8833 | No. 581 | Montvale, NJ · St. Joseph Regional |
| Cedric Wyche II | RB | ★★★ | 0.8794 | No. 665 | Fort Lauderdale, FL · St. Thomas Aquinas |
| Logan Farrell | TE | ★★★ | 0.8778 | No. 706 | Arlington Heights, IL · John Hersey |
| Jershaun Newton | ATH | ★★★ | 0.8758 | No. 759 | Clearwater, FL · Clearwater Central Catholic |
| Tywan Cox | S | ★★★ | 0.8744 | No. 795 | Miami, FL · Miami Northwestern |
| Carson Boyd | QB | ★★★ | 0.8736 | No. 829 | St. Louis, MO · Cardinal Ritter College Prep |
| Andre Lovett Jr. | S | ★★★ | 0.8728 | No. 857 | Blue Island, IL · Eisenhower |
| Isaiah White | DL | ★★★ | 0.8728 | No. 857 | Indianapolis, IN · Ben Davis |
| Michael McDonough | IOL | ★★★ | 0.8706 | No. 924 | Tinley Park, IL · Andrew |
| Erik Gayle | EDGE | ★★★ | 0.8689 | No. 987 | Cincinnati, OH · Withrow |
| Des Straughton | S | ★★★ | 0.8672 | No. 1049 | Roseville, MI · Roseville |
| Griffin Rousseau | IOL | ★★★ | 0.8639 | No. 1173 | Stoughton, WI · Stoughton |
| Cameron Brooks | DL | ★★★ | 0.8625 | No. 1243 | Flossmoor, IL · Homewood-Flossmoor |
| RJ Jones III | CB | ★★★ | 0.8617 | No. 1277 | Vero Beach, FL · Vero Beach |
| Jack Paris | LB | ★★★ | 0.8500 | No. 1738 | Oak Park, IL · Fenwick |
| Xanai Scott | S | ★★★ | 0.8492 | No. 1857 | West Palm Beach, FL · Cardinal Newman |
| Grant Smith | TE | ★★★ | 0.8492 | No. 1857 | Maroa, IL · Maroa-Forsyth |
| Dylan Frechette | IOL | ★★★ | 0.8442 | No. 2009 | West Palm Beach, FL · Cardinal Newman |
| JJ Hirdes | OT | ★★★ | 0.8431 | No. 2030 | Coopersville, MI · Coopersville |
Recruiting data from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub: composite ratings, stars and national ranks. Commits only; a class grows until signing day.
The Illinois recruiting class of 2026: where it ranks nationally, how many blue-chip players it has and every commit with position, stars and hometown. For players arriving from other programs, see the Illinois transfer portal; for the whole conference, the Big Ten recruiting rankings.
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Frequently asked questions
Where does Illinois's 2026 recruiting class rank?
No. 24 nationally with 230.18 points, with 31 commits on record.
Who is the top Illinois commit in the class of 2026?
Nick Hankins Jr., a 4-star CB from Belleville, IL, No. 135 nationally.
How many Illinois commits are four-star or better in 2026?
5 of 31.