In nine days No. 12 Illinois kicks off its football season against Western Illinois with expectations of competing for a spot in the Big Ten Title game and certainly the College Football playoff.<\/p>\n
Coming off the school\u2019s first 10-win campaign since 2001, capped by an exciting New Year\u2019s Eve Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina, Bret Bielema and his staff have created a buzz around the Champaign campus we haven\u2019t seen going into a season since the early 1990s.<\/p>\n
And sitting on a Top 25 recruiting class<\/a>, checking in at No. 25 in the Rivals Industry Standings<\/a>, prospects from across the country have taken notice and look forward helping Bielema build a consistent winner for years to come.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Coach B is as real as it gets when it comes to head coaches,\u201d Miami (Fla.) Edison quarterback Michael Clayton<\/a> said. He was the first to commit to Bielema in this 2026 cycle, giving his verbal back in November over an offer list that included opportunities across the ACC, Big Ten and SEC.<\/p>\n \u201cHe relates with his players extremely well. He preaches and lives out family in the football building through all of his coaches every day. Also he is a very knowledgeable and experienced as a head coach who has won multiple Big Ten championships before so there is a belief and trust in doing things his way.<\/p>\n Clayton is now part of a class that\u2019s up to 24 commits spanning eight different states.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super excited about our class of 2026 and believe that by the time we are all done with our Illinois careers, we can help establish Illinois as a continuous Top 10 program, help win Big Ten championships, and compete for National Championships!\u201d<\/p>\n Illinois having a lot of success in the Sunshine State<\/p>\n Clayton, who added he is not looking into his recent offer from Deion Sanders and Colorado, is one of five players out of Florida to commit to Illinois in this 2026 class. He came out strong as a senior throwing for 270 yards and three touchdowns in leading Miami (Fla.) Edison past Flanagan this past weekend.<\/p>\n Others from Florida that have jumped in include cornerback Almirian Thomas<\/a> (a long, high upside perimeter defender), linebacker Tony Williams<\/a> (101 tackles as a junior), big-play receiver Kenyon Alston<\/a> (over 20 yards per catch as a junior en route to 14 touchdowns) and edge rusher Kingston Shaw (11.5 TFLs as a junior).<\/p>\n Alston has 26 receiving touchdowns going into his senior year and the Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore standout looks like someone Bielema can count on to change the game in his offense.<\/p>\n \u201cCoach B is awesome and his coaches follow his lead,\u201d Alston said. \u201cThe players they recruit are like-minded and team guys. The fam-ILLY isn\u2019t just a saying or motto it\u2019s their actual culture. The team has started to create a national buzz and I\u2019m excited to watch them perform this year. I can\u2019t wait to be a part of that wide receiver room because I believe we are building something special and I want to be a part of something bigger than myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Home-cooking has been huge<\/p>\n The jewel of the class is Chicago (Ill.) Morgan Park four-star receiver Nasir Rankin<\/a>. He\u2019ll start on offense in Champaign but plans to also make an impact in the secondary when all said and done. He chose to play down the road from home over USC and many others. Rankin will also play basketball at Illinois.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like it\u2019s been progressing Illinois every year since Coach B\u2019s been up there,\u201d Rankin said when he committed. \u201cI see the type of class they have right now. Only adding me and trying to get a few others that\u2019s what matters most to me. I can see it\u2019s progressing to be one of the best programs.\u201d<\/p>\n Rankin, Alston and another homegrown talent in Davon Grant could make for one of the Big Ten\u2019s best pass-catching trios down the road. Grant is nearly 6-4, he\u2019s going to be an imposing matchup problem that turned 67 receptions into 1,016 yards and seven touchdowns for DeKalb (Ill.) High.<\/p>\n Other key in-state targets locked in with Illinois include four-star cornerback Nick Hankins<\/a>, offensive tackle Casey Thomann<\/a>, defensive linemen Tony Balanganayi<\/a> (also plays OL) and King Liggins<\/a>, edge rusher Jacob Alexander<\/a> and tight end Will Vala<\/a>.<\/p>\n We are high on the 6-foot-1 Hankins at Rivals. He picked off four passes as a junior and is active in the secondary. You need guys like him to matchup with the studs Ohio State, Oregon and others will challenge defenses with every Saturday.<\/p>\n Out of Olney (Ill.) Richland, Thomann is 6-7, 310-pounds and on film flashes all the traits coveted at the postion. He can move, he can bend, and Thomann is physical. It will be interesting to see what he develops into at Illinois and with Bielema\u2019s track record particularly at the point of attack he\u2019s a good one to bet on being one of the conference\u2019s best offensive linemen down the road.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a big part of it is Coach B and his coaching staff and how much input he put in the program,\u201d Thomann said when he committed. Rivals ranks him as the No. 36 offensive tackle in the country \u201cTheir success, especially in-state guys, for Coach B be able to grow that program is incredible and I\u2019m happy part of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Illinois is not going to lack for size and rough, energetic play around the line of scrimmage and the defensive lineman in the fold possess those qualities.<\/p>\n \u201cCoach B and his staff brought a whole new mindset to Champaign,\u201d Liggins said. \u201cToughness, discipline, and belief. The family vibe isn\u2019t just for show it is real. They don\u2019t just talk about building a culture; they live it every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs for the 2026 class, we\u2019re coming in to take it even further. We see what\u2019s been built, and we\u2019re ready to build on it. We\u2019re not coming to Illinois to mess around we are coming to hold the standard and win\u2014 also we are coming to make history. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n Vala doesn\u2019t come off the field for Downers Grove North. He can catch the football, he\u2019s a punishing blocker and he gets after the quarterback when playing defense.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Coach B and the staff have done an incredible job building a culture where development and toughness come first,\u201d Vala said. \u201cThey\u2019ve recruited guys who fit that mindset and they coach them hard but care about them off the field too. As for the 2026 class, I think we can help take this thing to another level. There\u2019s already a strong foundation in place and we\u2019re coming in ready to compete, push each other, and add to the momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n Defensive Swiss-Army Knife<\/p>\n One of the best recruiting wins of the cycle was beating Oklahoma and others for St. Louis (Mo.) Kirkwood athlete Jacob Eberhart<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a football player I think the thing I love about his is his versatility,\u201d Kirkwood head coach Jeremy Maclin said. A two-time All-American wide receiver at Missouri, Maclin played nine seasons in the NFL.<\/p>\n \u201cHis ability to be put in numerous different spots and succeed and take advantage of his matchups whether it\u2019s offense or defense. He\u2019s a really good-sized kid but he moves so well for his size. He\u2019s the best wide receiver, DB, whatever he is on the field he\u2019s the best on the field. Put him at linebacker and rush the passer he\u2019d be the best guy rushing the passer. He\u2019s that type of player.\u201d<\/p>\n Ranked as the nation\u2019s No. 8 athlete and No. 226 prospect overall, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Eberhart projects somewhere in the back end of the Illini defense.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody wants him to be a versatile player that can roam the field but he\u2019s also big and sturdy enough we can hop right into Dime and not lose a beat of cover skills because I can throw him in the box.<\/p>\n \u201cYou also have to see what happens with his body when he gets there. I think everybody loves his size, the way he runs at his size and he\u2019s not afraid to come down and make tackles. He can also cover with the best of them. You\u2019re looking at someone you can put anywhere on the football field.\u201d<\/p>\n Maclin is even more impressed with Eberhart\u2019s intangibles.<\/p>\n \u201cYou also love how competitive he is,\u201d Maclin said. \u201cDude wants to win. He\u2019s going to work his tail off. He\u2019s one of the hardest working guys on this football team. It definitely makes your job a lot easier when your best player is one of your hardest workers. Other guys follow suit.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a light. Guys gravitate towards him. He has a good sense of humor. He\u2019s genuine. Those are the type of guys you want in your program.\u201d<\/p>\n More hype around the Illinois program<\/p>\n The Illini went into Ohio and landed two future front-seven difference makers in linebacker Cam Thomas<\/a> and edge rusher Parker Crim<\/a>. Thomas had 84 tackles and 14.5 stops for loss as a junior and chose Illinois over Michigan, Indiana and many others. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Crim has a near 7-foot wing-span and is one of the strongest players committed to a Big Ten program in the cycle. Illinois beat Iowa State among others for the intriguing defensive end. Crim had 101 tackles, 21 stops for loss and 12 sacks. He gets after offenses every Friday night.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like Bielema and the staff are some of the most wise and intelligent people that Illinois could have,\u201d Crim said. \u201cJust watching them coach you can tell that they have a goal and that they are ready to accomplish that goal and the class of 2026 will help them achieve it as well because we have some phenomenal players that are hard working and will do anything to be the best that we can be individually and collectively as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n Fort Bend (Texas) Marshall safety Isaiah Williams<\/a> heads into his senior season with five career interceptions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think with that defensive background he has we\u2019re gonna be great on defense always,\u201d Williams said of Bielema. \u201cI think the 2026 class can take it even more further with the team we have lined up it\u2019s no doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n Suffield Academy edge Kayden Bennett<\/a> is also a tough block on Fridays, registering 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a junior with three forced fumbles. Pearland (Texas) High\u2019s Jaylen Stewart<\/a> shows nice twitch on tape.<\/p>\n