A big part of the resurgence of the Illinois football team has been the ability to bring in talented players.
Since Bret Bielema took over the Illini, recruiting has seen an uptick. Illinois is on pace for a top 30 recruiting class in 2026, and it has been impressive what the coaching staff has done with the limited resources due to Illinois being more of a basketball school.
With success on the field, going to Illinois has been more palatable for recruits. The Illini now have one of the top players in the country coming for a visit.
On Sunday, Lorenzo McMullen Jr. took to social media to announce that he is going to visit Illinois. He will take in the program on September 13 for the Western Michigan game.
I Will be at the university of Illinois on 9/13! Thanks for the invite! @TerryHawthorne1 #famILLy @CoachTy_1 @TaftNationFB @SWiltfong_ @TomLoy247 @AllenTrieu @adamgorney @coachjstepp pic.twitter.com/WXyNw5pYpW
— Lorenzo McMullen Jr (@LorenzoMcM2028) August 31, 2025
This is a level of recruit Illinois hasn't pulled in since the Ron Zook era. McMullen is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound wide receiver from Taft High School in Ohio. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 12 player in the class of 2028. McMullen is also the No. 4 wide receiver in the country and the best player coming out of Ohio.
Illinois is going to have a wild time trying to beat out a team like Ohio State for Lorenzo McMullen Jr.
It is fun to see the Illini getting a visit from McMullen. He is an elite player who is going to have every program in the country after him.
One of my first thoughts is, how are we going to compete with the big boys? McMullen only has 12 scholarship offers right now, since he is just a sophomore. But the scholarship offers will start flowing in.
In today’s college football, it has become less about how early you see the talent and more about the resources you can put into that talent. I believe Illinois has the quarterbacks to get McMullen the ball. I believe we have the coaching staff that can get him in the first round of the NFL Draft. But can Illinois put the money up to compete with Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia? That is going to be a tough one. Let's start saving in the piggy bank