Illinois basketball looking to secure a 2025 commitment after big official visit

While the Illinois basketball team doesn’t have a single player committed for 2025, that could all change soon.

The class of 2025 has been a wild ride thus far. Once the top class in the country with a five-star and four-star in tow, the Illini now sits with an empty commitment list and a lot of potential suitors.

This empty nest feeling could be getting solved soon, though. On Friday, Spencer Ahrens took to social media and posted multiple pictures of him on an official visit to Illinois.

Also on Friday, 247Sports submitted a Crystal Ball Prediction for Ahrens. The predicted landing spot for the talented forward?

Illinois.

If Ahrens did pick the Illini, this would be a great way to get things going. He is a 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward from Sunrise Cristian Academy but is from Ontario, Canada. Ahrens is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 74 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 16 power forward in the country and the best player coming out of Kansas.

Illinois basketball needs to continue to push for a Spencer Ahrens commitment because this kid has a ton of star potential

Illinois has done a great job recruiting Ahrens so far, but there are plenty of teams that want him in their program. Some of the bigger programs to be eyeing Ahrens include Michigan, Xavier, and Seton Hall, to name a few.

I think, with the numbers Ahrens puts up and what I see when I watch him play, this kid is going to be a special talent at the college level. He has everything I would want at the No. 4 or No. 5 spot.

Ahrens is built well, so he isn’t one of those leaner big men who can get pushed around in the paint. He can hold his own defensively, and he can power his way to the basket on the offensive end.

It is fun to watch Ahrens’ shooting ability. He is deadly from anywhere on the court. He has a fadeaway that mimics Dirk Nowitzki. I would argue the most impressive part of Ahrens’ game is his footwork. He has the ability to create space using his feet, and he can get to the basket with a great Euro step. His footwork mimics that of Jayson Tatum.

A class of 2025 that starts with Ahrens would be a great beginning to something special. I hope this official visit this weekend bears fruit because I want Ahrens on the roster in 2025-26.