It was a big weekend for the Illinois football program, as we tried to secure some of the top talent from around the country.
The class of 2026 is building into a special group. The Illini have 17 commitments, with the most recent pledge coming from tight end Will Vala. He visited this past weekend, and Illinois impressed him enough to make a commitment.
Vala wasn’t the only recruit to take in what Illinois had to offer. Nelsyn Wheeler was also in town to see if Champaign was the right place for his future home.
Wheeler is a 5-foot-9, 200-pound running back from Millard South High School in Nebraska. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1358 player in the class of 2026. Wheeler is also the No. 94 running back in the country and the No. 13 player coming out of Nebraska.
Wheeler's decision to visit Illinois was exciting, but what happened on Monday was pretty eye-opening. Wheeler took to social media and announced that he isn’t going to take an official visit to Michigan State this upcoming weekend.
In the post by Wheeler, he simply puts, “I will no longer be taking my OV to Michigan State this weekend.”
I will no longer be taking my OV to Michigan state this weekend.
— Nelsyn Wheeler 3⭐️ (@Nelsyn026) June 9, 2025
While that was some big news itself, around the same time, not one but two 247Sports analysts submitted a Crystal Ball Prediction. Who do they think Wheeler will land with?
Illinois.
The trust level is high with what Illinois football is doing at running back
Last season ended in a special way, with running back Josh McCray steamrolling his way through South Carolina and becoming the MVP of the Citrus Bowl. This also earned him a big payday, as he bolted for Georgia.
Illinois still has a nice stable of running backs who are suiting up for 2025, though. Kaden Feagin, Ca’Lil Valentine, and Aidan Laughery form a great three-headed monster. Illinois also added two extremely talented ball carriers from the class of 2025 in John Forster and Cedric Wyche II.
To add to the already high confidence, Bret Bielema added former New England Patriots and Wisconsin Badgers running back James White as the assistant running backs coach. He teams up with the man himself, Thad Ward, to really bolster the Illini backfield.
There is a level of confidence in the coaching staff that I haven’t had many times in my lifetime with the program. Bielema is making such good moves, and they are paying off with some talent coming in.