Illinois has done a great job building out the class of 2026, and we are now one step closer to adding to the family.
As of right now, the Illini are putting together one of the best classes in my lifetime. The class of 2026 has a national recruiting ranking of No. 11 in the country, and with the addition of someone like Cameron McHaney, that number will only continue to rise.
On Monday afternoon, On3.com posted on social media that McHaney is down to just five programs. The five teams to make the cut include Vanderbilt, Indiana, Purdue, Louisville, and Illinois.
🚨NEWS🚨 4-star DL Cameron McHaney is down to 5️⃣ schools, he tells @On3sports‼️
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) May 19, 2025
McHaney will announce his commitment on July 1.
Read: https://t.co/S2MYeS4MiM pic.twitter.com/FjISn24aCT
McHaney is a 6-foot-0.5, 315-pound defensive lineman from IMG Academy but is from Greenwood, Indiana. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 308 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 31 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 46 player coming out of Florida.
Illinois can play a powerful chip in the recruitment of Cameron McHaney
The recruitment of McHaney is pretty interesting. He clearly wants to stay closer to home. The official visits he has lined up right now include Illinois on June 6, Purdue on June 13, and Indiana on June 20. Louisville and Vanderbilt aren’t that far away either.
When it comes to recruiting multiple things are in play. Name, Imagine, and Likeness is always an element. When I look at these five programs, none of them stand out with having a war chest bigger than Illinois.
I think Bret Bielema can lay a big chip on the table, too. McHaney would come into the Illinois program and play nose tackle in a nickel or 3-4 defense. Bielema and the Illinois coaching staff were able to develop a player like Jer’Zhan Newton into an NFL-caliber lineman.
Newton, while he didn’t play the nose at Illinois, was a part of a great defensive line and could have easily played nose tackle with his size. He was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft and is now one of the defensive tackles on an up-and-coming Washington Commanders team.
I think Bielema should pitch that to a player like McHaney. I could see him making a big impact like Newton on the defensive line. Come to Illinois, make some money, and have the potential to turn into an All-American. That sounds like a good pitch to me.