At one time, the Illinois football program was pulling off some magic in the recruiting field.
Things were going so well for the Illini. Well, some would say too well. We were once a top 10 class in the country, but that has since dropped a bit down to No. 14. That is natural, though. Sometimes you land players, and other times there are players who depart. It is all a part of the game.
Illinois is still in the hunt for some big-time recruits, though. One of those players updated his recruitment this week.
On Friday night, Jacob Eberhart took to social media to announce that he will be making a decision on where he will call home on July 12. This will take place at the Sports & Social St. Louis at 6:00 p.m. CT.
In the post, Eberhart also narrows down to just five teams he will be choosing from. The five teams to make the cut include Nebraska, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Illinois.
Grateful for every opportunity, every lesson, and everyone who’s been part of this journey. July 12th, 6:00pm — Sports & Social St. Louis. Something special in the works… don’t blink. 👀 #BTG #TheCommitment #4Tank@MizzouFootball @OU_Football @AlabamaFTBL @IlliniFootball pic.twitter.com/QdkjhfYzmy
— Jacob Eberhart (BTG) (@jacobhart505) June 28, 2025
Eberhart is an impressive recruit. He is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound athlete from Kirkwood High School in Missouri. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 330 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 19 athlete in the country and the No. 4 player coming out of Missouri.
No Crystal Ball Prediction has been submitted yet for Eberhart, but 247Sports does have Oklahoma and Missouri as “warm” for his commitment.
I wouldn’t count Illinois football out of the Jacob Eberhart recruitment just yet
Sure, 247Sports has Eberhart leaning toward the Sooners and Tigers. Yes, Alabama, which just flipped one of our running backs, is always a terrifying team because of their war chest. And let’s not forget about Nebraska, which plucked the best quarterback out of the state of Illinois for 2027 in Trae Taylor.
With that being said, Illinois has received multiple visits from Eberhart. He is someone who has been a priority, and the Illini are good at recruiting defensive backs, as Eberhart would come into the program playing cornerback or some form of that position.
Illinois also has the recruiting chip of his father playing for the program. Jason Eberhart played for the Illini in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That has to help somewhat in the recruitment of his son.
I believe Illinois has the facilities and coaching staff to pull in a player like Eberhart. We have done it already on numerous occasions for the class of 2026. The big question is, can the Illini compete with NIL dollars? Let’s see how this one plays out.