Illinois football rattling the recruiting landscape with massive 4-star commitment

After a bit of a lull, the Illinois football team had a massive weekend when it comes to recruiting.

The Illini had a ton of recruiting momentum at one time, but that had subsided a lot lately. We needed some big news to come down the pipeline to get back on track and help secure a top 25 recruiting class for the first time in years.

That good news happened over the weekend. On Saturday night, Hayes Fawcett of On3.com reported that Illinois has landed Jacob Eberhart.

Eberhart 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. 329 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.

This was a big win for the Orange and Blue. Illinois was able to secure Eberhart’s commitment over teams like Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Illinois now brings in Eberhart, who is a legacy recruit. His dad, Jason, played for the Illini in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Now, we get the best Eberhart, as he tries to blaze a trail at the college level.

Jacob Eberhart is a huge addition to the Illinois football secondary for 2026

While Eberhart is listed as an athlete, I believe he will enter the Illinois program as a safety. Honestly, he can play any of the defensive back positions, so there is a chance we see him in the nickel defense as well.

The depth Illinois is building in the secondary is pretty impressive. This unit is going to continue being a force in the future.

Eberhart is the highest defensive back commitment as the No. 329 player in the class of 2026. Illinois also has Nick Hankins committed, who is the No. 355 player. Isaiah Williams is the No. 555 player, and Almirian Thomas is the No. 867 player for 2026.

For those keeping track at home, Illinois now has 23 commitments and a class ranked No. 22 in the country. On top of that, we have five four-star commitments. I believe, with the addition of Eberhart, that it should lock us into the top 30 nationally. Let’s keep adding and see how high we can get this group.