The Illinois basketball team may have just lucked out after one of the top recruits in the country decommitted from Wake Forest and reopened his recruiting cycle.
Quentin Coleman, a senior shooting guard from The Principia School in Saint Louis, Missouri, was fully committed to playing for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and head coach Steve Forbes. The No. 20 overall recruit chose the Deacons after receiving offers from 19 other schools, one of which was from the Illini, but he will now be back in the recruiting pool as he looks for another place to play.
Opening my recruitment back up! Blessed!!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/mbEjVcSAfh
— Quentin Coleman (@QuentinC_1) March 8, 2026
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing has a plethora of skill sets at his disposal on the offensive side of the court. According to 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein, the No. 1 player in the state of Missouri, "has a virtually pure release that is ultra-fluid with good loft and rotation. He made 39% of his threes during the EYBL season and showed versatility in his shot-making profile."
Coleman's elite combination of size and speed has made him one of the most sought-after players in the country. He has all of the makings of a pivotal starter/rotational piece from the jump, but can turn into a premier collegiate scorer with the right development physically and mentally.
What does this mean for Illinois basketball as they move into next season
The Illini are poised to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament this season thanks to the brilliant guard play of Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic, and Kylan Boswell. The problem is that at least two, if not all three, of these players may be gone by season's end.
Whether it's Boswell's graduation or Wagler possibly heading to the NBA, this team is certainly going to need some backcourt help in 2026-27. There will be plenty of spots open for newcomers to call their own, and Coleman would be able to take full advantage of them in Champaign.
4⭐️ Quentin Coleman is down to six schools, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) August 18, 2025
The 6-3 shooting guard and top-80 recruit breaks down his finalists: https://t.co/7mUreQsqx8 pic.twitter.com/SgFg8K2JwD
It would be the perfect spot for a young player like Coleman to put himself in, especially with four-star recruit Lucas Morillo already committed to the program. The problem that Brad Underwood will have is convincing Coleman to set his sights on Champaign.
It is quite possible that Underwood can make this happen based on his experience with recruiting. But when you have a highly touted player like Coleman, anything is possible.