Illinois basketball is still a couple of months from starting, but the coaching staff is putting in the work on the recruiting trail.
As the class of 2024 is starting to take shape, the Illini coaches are laying the groundwork for a talented 2025 group as well. There hasn’t been a commitment just yet, but landing a player like Colt Langdon would be a great start to what could be a special class.
On Wednesday, On3.com produced an interview with Langdon. In the interview, they talked about his recruitment and some of the visits he has taken. One of those visits was to Illinois.
"“The game I went to up there was electric. You know, the atmosphere and the Orange Crush, it was definitely cool to be there. Another thing with them, they love versatility and versatile players. Look at Coleman Hawkins; he’s like 6-foot-10 and was able to do a little bit of everything for them. And they put players in the pros.“I watched a lot of Terrence Shannon for them, you know, he’s left-handed like me, plays the same position as me, and is a similar size as me.”"
Seeing Illinois basketball succeed on the court is a clear boost for recruiting. Seeing players have success at the next level is always a nice recruiting chip as well.
Brad Underwood starting a pipeline of talent to The Association will only continue to pay dividends. Ayo Dosunmu doing well and getting a nice contract from the Chicago Bulls is a great point of emphasis. Langdon mentions both Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins, both of whom will also see NBA time in the near future as well.
Illinois basketball isn’t the only team Colt Langdon mentions in the recruiting article
Langdon is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward from Millbrook High School in North Carolina. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 127 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 24 small forward in the country and the No. 6 player coming out of North Carolina.
Being a high-level three-star recruit, Langdon has numerous teams vying for his commitment. In addition to Illinois, teams like Virginia Tech, Iowa, and Ole Miss have offered him a scholarship. But there are two other teams that are the highest of interest.
In the article, Langdon mentions he wants to visit Illinois again. He also says that he has been communicating with LSU and Marquette as well. As of right now, these two programs seem to be the biggest threats for the Illini.
It would be great if Illinois could land Langdon for the class of 2025. We need a versatile playmaker, and this kid fits that bill.