Illinois looking to pluck huge 4-star recruit from SEC country

This is a weird but amazing time for the Illinois football program.

To quote the great Ricky Bobby from his first interview after his first race, “I’m not sure what to do with my hands.” The Illini are a winning program, we are ranked No. 12 in the country, and recruiting isn’t letting up.

Bret Bielema has taken the once laughingstock bottom-feeder of the college football world and formed us into, I dare say, a national contender.

The class of 2026 is far from complete, as early National Signing Day is still months away, but Bielema is already doing some great work on the 2027 class as well. One of the massive recruits Illinois is targeting is Jabari Watkins.

On Monday, Watkins took his recruitment to the next level. He went on social media and knocked down his recruiting list to just nine programs. The nine teams to make his top list included Georgia, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Texas A&M, Cal, Nebraska, Florida State, Pittsburgh, and Illinois.

This would be a huge win for the Orange and Blue. Watkins is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver from Thomas County Central High School in Georgia. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 203 player in the class of 2027. He is also the No. 29 wide receiver in the country and the No. 23 player coming out of Georgia.

There are some big names for Illinois to climb over to secure Jabari Watkins

It is awesome that the Illini are in the mix for Watkins. He is a premier wide receiver who could help bolster the offense and take us to great heights.

But it is hard not to notice the massive names alongside Illinois for Watkins’ attention. The big name that stands out is Georgia.

Going in and competing against Georgia for an in-state recruit is going to be a tough ask. The one caveat is that Watkins might be in that national recruiting ranking range where Illinois can compete financially.

The Bulldogs are going to be spending a boatload of money on the top recruits in the country. Will they have enough to land Watkins? Or will their war chest be somewhat depleted, where Illinois can come in and actually compete with Georgia for Watkins?

There is still a ton of time left in the 2027 recruiting cycle. The fact that Illinois is still in the running for Watkins is huge. Let’s watch as Bielema creates that great relationship and competes with some of the big dogs of the college world.