Illinois Basketball: Ranking the last 10 Illini recruiting classes
4. Class of 2015
One of the most talented recruiting classes on paper that I have seen in the last decade has to be the class of 2015. This class had so much potential but like many on this list, it really didn’t live up to the hype.
The best player to come out of this class was probably the highest rated recruit. Jalen Coleman-Lands was a four-star recruit who was the No. 37 player in the class of 2015 and the No. 9 point guard in the nation. He was a great shooter. He had a legendary freshman campaign, but the team wasn’t winning enough. Underwood then took over, and Coleman-Lands transferred. He is finishing his career at DePaul.
Another player who ended up transferring out is DJ Williams. He was a four-star recruit who was the No. 77 player in the class of 2015 and the No. 14 small forward in the nation. Williams’ career never really took off despite seeing potential. He ended up transferring out and is finishing up at George Washington.
Darius Paul was a part of this class as well. He was a talented transfer the Illini were getting but he wasn’t very bright. He did some dumb things and was kicked off the team before he could play a single second in the Orange and Blue.
The two players who are solid Illini recruits and are actually improving are Aaron Jordan and Kipper Nichols. Both of these players are huge contributors to the Illini and will be entering the upcoming season.
Jordan resurrected his career when Underwood took over. Last season, he had his best year by far with the Illini, and I could see him continuing to improve in his final season. Jordan has a tremendous shot from the outside and his defense improved as well.
Nichols had a great campaign last year as well. He is a great scorer and rebounder. I believe he will probably be starting next season but if not, he should be a primary backup. He will be huge for this team.
Overall, I liked the class of 2015 when it came in. They had so much potential. But, the top of the class ended up not finishing with the Illini and the transfer in the class got kicked off the team. That is why they didn’t finish higher.