Illinois football has done a good job recruiting since the 2020s began.
This coincides with the hiring of Bret Bielema. He has done wonders for the Illini on and off the field, and that trend looks to be continuing.
On Wednesday night, Hayes Fawcett of On3.com reported that Illinois has landed quarterback Owen Herrick.
Illinois family let’s do this!! I’m home! I-L-L 🟠🔵 https://t.co/Alexg8ONZ6
— Owen Herrick (@OwenHerrick12) September 16, 2026
Herrick is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback from Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School in Pennsylvania. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 419 player in the class of 2028. He is also the No. 28 quarterback in the country and the No. 14 player coming out of Pennsylvania.
This isn’t just a quality addition to the Illini recruiting class. Herrick was a wanted recruit. His roughly 10 scholarship offers included the likes of Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Arkansas, to name a few. Illinois beat out all of the competition.
Illinois football has the feel of changing direction with the quarterback position
It is nice to see another quarterback commit to Illinois. We need to stockpile talent behind center, and landing someone like Herrick to be the centerpiece for the class of 2028 is big.
The class of 2028 isn’t fully in motion yet, as Herrick is the first commit for Illinois, but he does give the Illini the No. 23 class in the country right now.
With that being said, it does feel like Illinois might be changing directions when it comes to the quarterback position.
Since Bielema took over, the Illini have only gone with transfer portal quarterbacks. He had to deal with Brandon Peters for a season. Illinois then brought in Tommy DeVito. Luke Altmyer followed for three seasons. And now we have Katin Houser at the helm.
It feels like there could be a plan in the future at the quarterback position, though. Carson Boyd stuck around with the program for another season. He could have easily transferred away and played this season somewhere else.
I could see Boyd being the starter at Illinois next season. Michael Clayton II and Dane Eisenmenger are also on the depth chart and could make an impact.
Illinois landed Sladen Shack from the 2027 class. While he is only the No. 1157 player in the country, he had a ton of recruiting attention from a lot of big-time programs.
With the news of Herrick’s commitment on Wednesday, that gives Illinois more homegrown firepower at quarterback. There might be a shift in mindset at the position, and Bielema is setting the Illini up for success for a long time.
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