5 Illinois basketball top priority recruits after Will Riley commitment

Illinois basketball is just over a week from when five-star Will Riley committed to the program.

This was a huge commitment for the Illini, as Riley will give the roster a huge boost in the frontcourt. He is also reclassifying to the class of 2024, so we get to see him this fall and winter.

Now that Riley is in the fold, what other recruits should Illinois fans be eyeing? Well, I have a list of the top five who I think should be a top priority next.

Here are five Illinois basketball top priority recruits after Will Riley commitment

Jasper Johnson - Class of 2025

At one time, this might have been a pipe dream, but the Illinois basketball program has received plenty of interest from Jasper Johnson.

Johnson is a 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard from Link Academy in Missouri. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 10 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 2 shooting guard in the country and the best player coming out of Missouri.

If you would have asked if Illinois was in contention for Johnson a few months ago, I would have laughed and said no. Now that Brad Underwood has hired Orlando Antigua back as an assistant coach, the Orange and Blue are squarely in the mix for this talented guard.

Johnson has taken numerous official visits, and one of his most recent trips was to Champaign. He made a stop at Illinois to check out what the program has to offer.

No decision date has been set, but Illinois will hopefully be able to land Johnson. He would pair well with incoming point guard Jeremiah Fears, who is a high four-star recruit.

A combination of Johnson and Fears would give Illinois one of the best backcourts in the country. This would be a national championship-contending duo.