Today is a big day for the future of the Illinois basketball program.
Coming off a win on Sunday, the Illini have already started the week off on the right foot. In addition to Illinois having a 14-4 record and currently being ranked No. 14 in the country, this team also has some great pieces coming into the program.
The class of 2024 is stacked with talent. Morez Johnson Jr. leads the way, as the 6-foot-8, 215-pound big man is a consensus top 35 player in the nation. He is also dominating on a level that has him right in the crosshairs of the McDonald’s All-American Game.
Joining Johnson in 2024 is Jase Butler, a talented guard who continues to show why he should be a top-100 recruit. Illinois also has another big man entering the program in 6-foot-10 Jason Jakstys. He is someone who continues to improve by the day.
These three talented players form a top-25 recruiting class for the Illini, but Brad Underwood isn’t just focusing on the 2024 class. He has his eyes also set on the class of 2025.
On Monday, Illinois fans will hopefully get some good news in regards to the 2025 class. A few days ago, it was announced that point guard Jeremiah Fears is going to announce his college decision today, January 22. He will be announcing at 2:00 p.m. CT/3:00 p.m. ET.
2025 4⭐️ Jeremiah Fears (@jeremiahfears2) will announce his college decision tomorrow at 3PM ET.
— HS Top Recruits (@HSTopRecruiting) January 21, 2024
His finalists are Illinois, Providence, Kansas, Michigan and Ole Miss.
Fears has took Official Visits to Illinois and Providence.
What’s the move? pic.twitter.com/oAesqcsy3N
The decision for Fears is coming down to Michigan, Ole Miss, Kansas, Providence, and Illinois. On Saturday, On3.com national recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw submitted a prediction on where Fears will land. Shaw submitted that he is going to pick Illinois over the other four programs with a 60% confidence.
Bringing Jeremiah Fears home would be huge for the Illinois basketball program in 2025
Fears would be a massive get for the Illini. He is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard who currently attends Compass Prep out in Arizona, but Fears is from Joliet, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 35 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 6 point guard in the country and the No. 2 player coming out of Arizona.
I think it would be pretty impressive for Underwood to land Fears. He hasn’t been huge on securing in-state commitments since becoming the head coach at Illinois, albeit what he has been doing is working.
I will give credit that Underwood has pulled in players like Ayo Dosunmu and Adam Miller, but the cupboard has been pretty bare for the most part. That seems to all be changing.
Johnson is the best player in the state for 2024. He has always been an in-state kid too, transferring to Thornton Township from St. Rita up in Chicago. Jakstys is also an in-state product from Yorkville, Illinois.
Following the 2024 class, we could be adding a player from Joliet, Illinois who would easily be the top player in the state if he transferred back. Fears is a great point guard and someone who could help strengthen our in-state recruiting base. This commitment would be big for multiple reasons. Hopefully, Monday brings some great news for the Orange and Blue.