The Illinois football team has quite the class of 2026 built up so far, and there are more options still out there to be had.
Throughout the past few months, the Illini have done a ton of work on the recruiting front. Bret Bielema has put together one of the best recruiting classes I have ever seen for the program in 2026, and we aren’t done yet.
As it stands right now, Illinois has the No. 7 class in the country for 2026 with the highest rated recruit Victor Singleton, a cornerback from Ohio. While having one top cornerback committed, it would be nice to have a great duo coming into the program. That is why landing someone like Brody Jennings would be huge.
This past Thursday, Sam Spiegelman of Rivals reported that Jennings has added two official visits to his list in 2025. He will be taking a trip to Auburn on May 16-18. A month before that trip, he will be in Champaign to see what Illinois has to offer on April 4-6.
Four-star Michigan DB commit Brody Jennings will take the following official visits, he tells @Rivals
— Sam Spiegelman (@samspiegs) March 7, 2025
—Illinois (April 4-6th)
—Auburn (May 16-18th)https://t.co/KDwL7c2XuD @SpidermanJ3
The fact that Illinois is getting an official visit is a pretty big deal. Jennings would be a great get. He is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback from Mandarin High School in Florida. Jennings is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 256 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 22 cornerback in the country and the No. 39 player coming out of Florida.
Jennings has a lot of visits lined up. The schedule roughly looks like this; Illinois April 4, Auburn May 16, Alabama May 30, Florida June 6, Georgia June 13, and Michigan June 20. A crazy part of this recruitment is the fact that Jennings is already committed to a program. He pledged his commitment to the Wolverines back in July 2024. But, honestly, it seems like his recruitment is wide open at this point.
Illinois football can tout recent defensive back success in the recruitment of Brody Jennings
Just seeing the list of teams Jennings will visit gives me chills. Illinois can’t compete financially with most of those programs, as our football team takes a backseat to what our basketball team is doing with NIL.
Illinois can lay out the fact that we have put numerous defensive backs into the NFL in recent years. Devon Witherspoon was the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Sydney Brown just won the Super Bowl with the Eagles. Nate Hobbs signed a huge contract with the Green Bay Packers. Kerby Joseph led the NFL in interceptions. Tony Adams and Quan Martin both had good seasons and continue to impress.
The defensive back talent in the NFL is growing each season. If you are a cornerback wanting to get to the next level while making some money in college, Illinois is the landing spot. I hope Jennings can see that.