While the shock of it already being June sets in, the Illinois football program is preparing for a big month.
Bret Bielema has the Illini on the right track when it comes to recruiting. Numerous top 50 classes have led to what we are seeing for the class of 2026. Illinois currently has the No. 14 class in the country with 16 recruits pledged.
Illinois is nowhere near finished, though. There are more scholarships to be claimed, and a recruiting class that will hopefully lock into the top 20. A big step in the right direction of securing that top 20 recruiting class is having a great weekend.
Starting on June 6, numerous recruits will be in Champaign for an official visit. As far as quantity goes, this is the biggest weekend for the Illini when it comes to securing commitments.
According to 247Sports, 16 players will be visiting Illinois. Seven out of those 16 players have yet to commit as well. But even if they have committed, Illinois still has to show the players that Champaign is the right choice.
Multiple top defensive players are coming to see what Illinois football is all about
While the Illini try to maintain the already committed players and keep them happy, Bielema is also juggling, trying to add to the class of 2026.
There are a couple of huge recruits in the seven who are visiting. Nick Hankins Jr., a four-star cornerback who is the No. 352 player in the class of 2026, will be in town. He kept Illinois in his top five back in mid-May, and Hankins is coming off an official visit to Missouri. The fact that he didn’t commit is a good sign.
Another massive recruit is Tucker Ashford. He is a three-star edge who is the No. 441 player in the class of 2026. Illinois is putting resources into the Ashford recruitment, as they have done an in-home visit with him back in mid-May, and now he is coming to town. This is a recruitment I would watch for on Monday to see if there is any movement after the official visit.
At the end of the day, all of the official visits this weekend are huge for the Illinois football program. We need to retain what we have and continue to add. Let’s see if we can inch closer to the 20-commitment mark after this weekend.