Key recruits now on the radar for the Illinois football class of 2026

While the Illinois football team needs to find a way to bolster the class of 2025, the coaching staff is also focusing on the 2026 class as well.

There hasn’t been a commitment for the class of 2026 thus far, but it is extremely early. The Illini will surely land some quality players, as we need to continue to bring in solid talent to compete in the Big Ten.

Over the past week, the Illinois coaching staff has been busy offering scholarships to key players. Landing these talented recruits would go a long way in being nationally relevant once again.

Let’s take a look at some of the big class of 2026 scholarship offers from the Illinois football team

Tatum Bell Jr.

On Tuesday, the Illinois football team came in with a scholarship offer to Tatum Bell Jr. Yes, the son of former Oklahoma State and Denver Broncos running back, Tatum Bell. Feel old?

Bell is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound wide receiver from Heritage High School in Texas. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 408 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 61 wide receiver in the country and the No. 56 player coming out of Texas.

Zion Elee

Illinois is looking to bolster the defense by offering a scholarship to Zion Elee. He is a big-time East Coast recruit who would give the Illini a monster on the defensive side of the ball from day one.

Elee is a 6-foot-5, 225-pound edge rusher from Joppatowne High School in Maryland. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 22 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 3 edge rusher in the country and the No. 2 player coming out of Maryland.

Cameron McHaney

After losing Jer’Zhan Newton to the NFL, the Illini are looking for the next big-time defensive lineman. The answer could come in the form of Cameron McHaney.

McHaney is a 6-foot-2, 315-pound defensive lineman from IMG Academy in Florida. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 211 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 24 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 37 player coming out of Florida.

Cam Thomas

It would be nice to be able to go into the state of Ohio and pluck talented players out from underneath Ohio State. Landing someone like Cam Thomas would be that move.

Thomas is a 6-foot-2, 217-pound athlete from Lakota West High School in Ohio. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 218 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 17 linebacker in the country and the No. 9 player coming out of the state of Ohio.