Illinois Basketball: 2027 superstar snags Illini scholarship offer

The recruiting profiles for distant recruiting classes are starting to be published, and the Illinois basketball team finds itself already eyeing a big-time target.

Brad Underwood and the Illini are starting to shift full focus onto the class of 2024. This class is bringing in a generational talent, and we need to add more pieces to the puzzle. But it is never too early to start thinking about the future.

Illinois extended a scholarship offer to a member of the class of 2026 on Monday. If you thought that was an early offer, on the same day, the Illini also came in with an offer to Jaylan Mitchell.

Illinois basketball is trying to build on an Indiana pipeline with the scholarship offer to Jaylan Mitchell

Mitchell is a 6-foot-6, 175-pound small forward from Evansville Reitz Memorial High School in Indiana. He isn’t rated or ranked since he is from the class of 2027, but he does have more than just the Illini eyeing him. Arizona State and Evansville have already come in with an offer as well.

So, if you have done the math, the class of 2027 means that Mitchell is just now entering the high school ranks. He just completed 8th grade and is now going to be a freshman who already has three DI scholarship offers.

Opinion

Despite being just an 8th grader, Mitchell competed for Brad Beal Elite in the E15 segment of the Nike EYBL. He was able to hold his own as well.

Mitchell would play in five games, and he would average 15.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest.

This kid is just entering high school and he is already 6-foot-6. I would imagine he grows multiple inches and enters the college ranks at around 6-foot-8 or taller. What is scary is the fact he is a capable three-point shooter to go along with that tremendous height.

Mitchell shot 32.4% from three-point range during the EYBL, but that number is skewed a little bit. In one game, he was 0-of-7 from three-point range, which bad nights happen. If you take that one game out of the mix, Mitchell was 12-of-30 from three-point range, which is 40%.

At the end of the day, while Mitchell is just entering his freshman season, you can tell he is going to be a really good player. I would imagine, when it is all said and done, he is a top 10 recruit in the class of 2027.