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Super-athlete recruit keeps Illinois football in the mix for commitment

Recruiting is a tough game, but the Illinois football team is now in the running for one of the top players in the class of 2027.
ByRees Woodcock|
Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema leads his team down the Illini Walk before an NCAA football game with the Southern California Trojans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema leads his team down the Illini Walk before an NCAA football game with the Southern California Trojans at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

It is hard for the Illinois football program to keep up with a team like Alabama or Ohio State because of funding.

The Illini don’t have a treasure trove of dollars to throw at recruits. We are a basketball-first organization, while the football team can still eat with some solid revenue.

Getting top recruits in the country can be tough at times. Bret Bielema has done a great job of this thus far, and now Illinois has a chance at one of the best, if not the best, players in the class of 2027.

On Friday, Hayes Fawcett of On3 reported that Myson Johnson-Cook has cut his top list down to just 12 teams. The 12 programs to make the cut include Oregon, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Miami, Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Illinois.

This is a massive recruitment. Johnson-Cook is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound athlete from East St. Louis High School in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 40 player in the class of 2027. He is also the No. 2 athlete in the country and the No. 2 player coming out of Illinois.

Step one is complete. Illinois is still alive for Johnson-Cook’s commitment. Step two is now to beat out some powerhouse NIL programs to make the next cut. I look at the other 11 teams involved, and they are mostly all football-oriented programs. This one is going to be tough when it comes to money.

If Illinois does back up the Brinks truck, it would be well worth it. Johnson-Cook is a special player. He is a super-athlete who can play either side of the ball.

247Sports has Johnson-Cook listed as a defensive end, which would be scary considering he claims a 4.39 40-yard dash on his social media profile. Can you imagine a defensive end who can get off the block that quickly?

I like Johnson-Cook at the running back position, though. This kid is electric. He has speed that is rarely seen. It is crazy how well he hits a hole, and he can find space where there isn’t space. This season, MaxPreps has Johnson-Cook’s stats through six games at 42 carries for 513 yards and nine touchdowns. That is 12.2 yards per carry.

Illinois football needs a game-changer like Myson Johnson-Cook on the roster in 2027

There are a few luxuries that Illinois can offer that most of the other teams, if not all, can’t offer on the top 12 list.

If Johnson-Cook does come to Champaign, he would start from day one. No one is ahead of him on the roster. I know that Illinois has Ca’Lil Valentine, who would be a senior. We have John Forster and Cedric Wyche II waiting in the wings, too. But if you bring a talent like Johnson-Cook in, he starts immediately.

Defensively, I think the same applies. Illinois has gone with more of a nickel defense in the Bielema era, so Johnson-Cook would likely transition into an outside linebacker. Having an outside linebacker who can run a sub-4.4 40-yard dash would be insane. He has an outside linebacker position locked up.

If we have to, let’s start saving money now. Johnson-Cook should be the top priority moving forward. Years from now, we will look back on Johnson-Cook’s college career and will be amazed. Let’s just hope it is a feeling of exuberance rather than regret, as he suited up for the Orange and Blue.

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