Illinois basketball has moved up in the class of 2024 rankings after a rankings adjustment.
Many Illini fans are waiting with bated breath about what is going to happen with star guards, Mikey Lewis and Jase Butler. Landing either of these players for the class of 2024 would help the Illinois backcourt tremendously.
But while the recruitment of Lewis and Butler is starting to come to a close, the current 2024 class for the Illini is actually improving. No, we haven’t landed anyone else just yet, but the two players we have committed are improving in the recruiting rankings.
Illinois basketball class of 2024 has seen a bump since 247Sports updated their recruiting rankings
Over the past few months, 247Sports has made some adjustments to their recruiting rankings. Back in mid-July, they had Illinois commit Morez Johnson Jr. ranked as the No. 46 player in the country. This was a boost from having him as the No. 61 player back in March.
Just two weeks ago, the recruiting rankings were updated again in favor of Johnson. He is now the No. 35 player in the class of 2024, an 11-spot jump.
This wasn’t the big surprise change for the 2024 class, though. Just two days ago, 247Sports changed the recruiting ranking for the other Illinois commit, Jason Jakstys.
When the 6-foot-10 big man committed to the Illini back in July, he was ranked as the No. 239 player in the class of 2024. You could tell that Jakstys was a better player than sub-230. This kid has a ton of talent, and that talent is now getting some respect.
In the past couple of days, 247Sports updated their recruiting rankings, and Jakstys shot up the board. He went from No. 239 in July to No. 187 on September 13. On Thursday, Jakstys was moved again, as he is now the
in the class of 2024.
This type of jump is an impressive feat for Jakstys. He is now the No. 25 power forward in the country and the No. 4 player coming out of Illinois. Four-star status is in reach as well, as he is only 10 spots behind the last four-star on the board.
With the improvement in recruiting ranking, Illinois’ overall ranking for the class of 2024 also improved. Before the most recent update, the Illini had the No. 25 ranked class for 2024. Now we are up to No. 20 in the country.
At the end of the day, this update only matters on paper. Johnson and Jakstys were already great players and numbers being adjusted won’t make either player better or worse. I am just happy that these two are getting the shine they have earned.