I would understand why someone might be down about Illinois football right now, as there was a big de-commitment in the last couple of days.
The Illini lost the commitment of four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati. This one hurt, as he was supposed to be the future of the position. Thankfully, Illinois hasn’t relied on building up quarterbacks. We have leaned on the transfer portal.
Bret Bielema is going to pull in a quarterback for 2027 and beyond, but who it is going to be is still to be determined. One thing I know for sure is that Illinois will need blockers up front to protect our quarterback. On Wednesday, we got a step closer to helping that cause.
Allen Trieu of On3.com reported that offensive tackle Cameron Wagner has cut his list down to just four programs. The four teams to make his top list include Notre Dame, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Official visits set with all four programs as well: https://t.co/ncFqC8dZut
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) April 15, 2026
It is a pretty big deal that Illinois is in the mix for Wagner. This kid is a pretty special talent. He is a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 318 player in the class of 2027. Wagner is also the No. 32 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 11 player coming out of Illinois.
As of right now, all four programs have set up official visits with Wagner. He starts off with Wisconsin on May 29. He then makes the trip to Illinois on June 5, Oregon on June 12, and finishes with Notre Dame on June 19.
Illinois football needs to close the deal with Cameron Wagner before the Notre Dame visit
Illinois has a lot to offer a player like Wagner. He can come in and start from day one, and that is a luxury that no other program can likely offer.
Honestly, I could be wrong on this one, but there is only one team that scares me right now with the Wagner recruitment. That team is Notre Dame.
The Irish have had numerous visits with Wagner, and we all know they don’t put any money into the basketball program. All of that money is funneling into the football team, and they have a war chest to go to battle with.
I believe that Illinois needs to close the deal with Wagner before his trip to South Bend. If he goes to Notre Dame for an official visit, I believe he will likely commit to the Gold and Green.
This is a massive recruitment, especially considering what just happened with the class of 2027. If Illinois can pull in this huge in-state recruit, the 2027 class could be pretty special.
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