It is important that the Illinois basketball team keeps up with recruiting, so landing a big-time four-star recruit for 2026 would be huge.
The Illini have two players committed for the class of 2026 right now. Three-stars Ethan Brown and Landon Davis are both ready to wear the Orange and Blue. Looking for more bodies, Brad Underwood has numerous lines in the water. Illinois is now a step closer to landing a big fish.
On Thursday night, Joe Tipton of On3.com reported that Lucas Morillo is down to just six teams. The six programs vying for his commitment include Virginia, Minnesota, UCLA, Texas, Marquette, and Illinois.
NEWS: 4⭐️ Lucas Morillo is down to six schools, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) August 28, 2025
The 6-6 point guard and No. 32 ranked player in the 2026 class breaks down his finalists: https://t.co/qp8mYX6fut pic.twitter.com/ej17y6jYRb
Morillo would be a nice centerpiece to an Illinois recruiting class. He is a 6-foot-6, 180-pound shooting guard from The Newman School in Massachusetts. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 62 player in the class of 2026. Morillo is also the No. 9 shooting guard in the country and the best player in the state of Massachusetts.
On 247Sports, it looks like two official visits have been set for Morillo. He took one to Marquette back in June. He is also coming off an official visit to Minnesota in the last few days.
An interesting note is that on On3.com, they changed their prediction for Morillo. Back on August 16, Illinois became the new leader for the talented wing.
Brad Underwood is always looking for a slashing wing for the Illinois basketball program
Throughout Brad Underwood’s entire tenure with the Illini, he has recruited players who can slash to the basket and be aggressive out on the wing. We experienced that with Tre White as of late.
Morillo fits that mold. At 6-foot-6, he has good size. He can get to the rim and score around the bucket. I love his ability to rebound the basketball. Morillo can do a little bit of everything, and that is exactly what Illinois needs.
It is great that the Illini are in the top six for Morillo. I think this is a chance to land a big-time recruit and build the class of 2026 into a powerhouse.