Saturday was a pretty bad day of the week for the Illinois football program, as a big recruit flipped.
Usually, the weekend spells good news. The Illini went into the weekend with a nice haul for the class of 2026, and in one fell swoop, the top commitment decided to change his mind.
Victor Singleton went from being committed to Illinois to flipping his commitment to Texas A&M. Obviously, the Aggies came in with a big offer, but this departure hurts the Illini. Singleton was a top 100 recruit in the country.
Despite that departure, Illinois still sits with a solid 2026 class, though. Coming into the weekend, the Illini had the No. 7 class in the country for 2026. The departure of Singleton only dropped us to the No. 10 class in the country. So, even without the top 100 recruit, Bret Bielema still has Illinois in the top 10.
A major reason for the solid recruiting ranking is the depth of the class. Illinois used to recruit a handful of top 1000 players and then fill the roster with sub-1000 recruits. That is the mentality that gives you borderline bowl game status, at best, year after year.
In the Bielema era, that hasn’t been the case for the Illini. We have put together quality recruiting classes, and the class of 2026 holds its own.
As of right now, Illinois still has four top 500 recruits committed, with Cam Thomas, a four-star, being the top dog. All 13 commitments for the Orange and Blue rank inside the top 1000 as well.
Illinois football class of 2026 is already hitting the same mark as the 2025 recruiting class
The depth of talent in the 2026 class is quite impressive. The 13 top 1000 recruits is the same mark the entire class of 2025 had. They had 13 top 1000 recruits, and that was the finished product. The class of 2026 isn’t nearly finished, and there are still so many talented players looking for a home.
I am also loving the positions of the top recruits for the class of 2026. Three out of the top six commits are at linebacker. This has been a weak point on the defense over the years, and it will get weaker as many linebackers are about to depart. Having this type of haul at linebacker will go a long way.
Illinois also helped the offense with the top six recruits. One is an offensive lineman and the other is a running back. We are loading up on two positions that Bielema has had success with throughout his career. Despite the massive departure on Saturday, Illinois football is still in good hands. The class of 2026 is on pace to be special.