One of the bright spots for the Illinois football team this season has been the wide receiver position.
Despite losing multiple pass-catchers for the first month of the season, the Illini have had great output from the wide receiver corps. After the season, Bret Bielema is going to need to find answers to the mass exodus of wide receiver talent to graduation.
Bennett Konkey is that answer. On Friday, Rivals updated their class of 2027 rankings, and Konkey is finally getting some national love.
Rivals moved Konkey into the Rivals 300, ranking him at No. 217 overall. He is now a four-star recruit as well, moving up from his old three-star status.
RIVALS RISER: Illinois WR commit Bennett Konkey jumps from 3-stars to No. 217 in the 2027 Rivals300📈
— Rivals (@Rivals) October 2, 2026
Konkey is now rated as a 4-star prospect.
Read: https://t.co/RT8v6x1ktD pic.twitter.com/n99xNc1euN
According to Rivals, Konkey is Illinois’ second-highest-rated recruit for the 2027 class. At No. 217 nationally, he is right behind cornerback Justin Johnson, who ranks No. 155 in the country.
It makes sense that the 6-foot-1 wide receiver is on the rise. He is balling out for his Geneva High School team, amassing 1145 yards and 17 touchdowns through seven games this season. Those massive numbers have propelled the Vikings to a 6-1 record so far.
Illinois football is going to need Bennett Konkey to fill some pretty big shoes in 2027
The Illini offense has been moving the ball incredibly well this season. Collin Dixon is having one of the best seasons by an Illinois wide receiver in recent memory.
Dixon, Hudson Clement, and Ty Robinson have 790 of the 1021 receiving yards this season for Illinois. That is 77.4% of the yards. All three wide receivers will be gone after the 2026 campaign.
On top of those three departing, Jayshon Platt and Alex Perry are both leaving after their lone season with the Orange and Blue.
That leaves plenty of snaps for Konkey to come in, play, and maybe even start from day one.
The 2027 campaign is going to have the wide receiver corps wide open. Just looking at who has made an impact this season and will be back next year, you have to think Brayden Trimble is one of the top options next season.
Beyond Trimble, who knows who will step up? Nas Rankin and Jacob Eberhart were both highly-rated recruits. Kenyon Alston is a burner. I like all three of those players, but Illinois has zero proven talent outside of Trimble.
I am excited about Konkey joining the program. He is putting up massive numbers at the high school level, and I think he could be a big-time playmaker with the Illini. Konkey’s stock just keeps on rising.
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