Illinois basketball: Illini eyeing versatile 2025 big man

Illinois basketball is now focusing on landing a big man for the class of 2025.

Throughout his time coaching the Illini, Brad Underwood has been able to land some pretty talented paint players. Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Kofi Cockburn kicked things off, and it has continued by landing players like Amani Hansberry and Morez Johnson Jr.

But there is never enough depth at the college level. Illinois needs to stack big-man talent so we don’t miss a beat when someone needs a breather. That is why I am intrigued by the Illini pursuing Daniel Jacobsen.

On Saturday, Jacobsen took to social media to announce that he had received a scholarship offer from Illinois. The Illini join teams like Xavier and New Mexico in eyeing this kid’s potential.

Illinois basketball would be adding a versatile big man in Daniel Jacobsen

Jacobsen is a 7-foot, 215-pound center from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 104 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 17 center in the country and the best player coming out of New Hampshire.

A couple of weeks ago, Jacobsen suited up for the JL3 AAU team in the Nike EYBL. Despite just finishing up his sophomore year of high school, Jacobsen was competing against some of the best talent in the country with JL3. He would end the five games in the Peach Jam averaging 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.0 assists per game.

Opinion

Jacobsen is an intriguing recruit. He has essentially classed up by playing in the EYBL this year. He has another year of AAU summer ball coming up where I expect him to be even better.

All of the big man traits are there with Jacobsen. He can rebound well and is a blocking machine. But what piques my interest the most is the fact he also shot 41.7% from three-point range during the Peach Jam.

Getting a stretch No. 5 on the roster would be huge for the Illini. Jacobsen can work at multiple levels, and that makes him so dangerous. Look for his recruitment to blow up over the next few months. This kid is a four-star and top-100 recruit without a doubt.