Coming into the early National Signing Day, the recruiting waters seemed fine for the Illinois football program.
On this day, there usually aren’t many unknowns. Sure, an Illini commit has gone elsewhere, and we have pulled in a recruit or two over the years who had some rumblings about coming to Champaign. But what happened on Wednesday was huge for the program.
Despite months going by and no change in his recruitment, John Forster decided to make the move on the first day of early National Signing Day. He flipped his commitment from Rutgers to Illinois, which was a big surprise.
Something about the Orange and Blue. @johnforsterr is going to be an Illini! #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/MDjCTEVNw4
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 4, 2024
Forster is a 5-foot-10, 185-pound running back from St. Joseph Regional High School in New Jersey. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 558 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 41 running back in the country and the No. 16 player coming out of New Jersey.
If you had told me Forster flipped his commitment back in June, I wouldn’t have been surprised. He did take an official visit to Rutgers in late May and then made the trip to Champaign in early June. The fact he waited until early National Signing Day made the wait all the sweeter.
Illinois football has a loaded running back room with the big addition of John Forster
Bret Bielema isn’t new to the running back game. When he was with Wisconsin, he stockpiled running backs and sent many to the NFL. I think he is going to do that same thing with the Illini.
This past season saw some great running back talent excel for Illinois. We all know how good Kaden Feagin can be when healthy. Josh McCray had his best season in years now that he is finally healthy. Aidan Laughery was just named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Ca’Lil Valentine showed some great burst as a true freshman.
The crazy part about the four running backs I just named is the fact all four can be back in 2025. McCray will be the only senior. I haven’t even mentioned Jordan Anderson, who has great potential and is a monster.
Illinois now adds Forster and Cedric Wyche to that running back room. Forster is a top 600 recruit, and Wyche can hold his own as a top 800 player in the class of 2025.
Bielema did a great job building out a crucial part of the Illinois offense. I can’t wait to see what these newcomers can do on the field.