Texas wide receiver keeps Illinois football alive after top 8 cut

Bret Bielema is still in the middle of molding one of the best recruiting classes in program history.

It is hard to look at what the Illini are doing and think the future isn’t extremely bright. Coming off a 10-win campaign, the first in nearly a quarter-century, Illinois has used that momentum to currently have the No. 10 recruiting class in the country for 2026.

There are plenty of talented recruits in this 2026 group, but there are also more players to be had. One of the options on the Illini radar is Kohen Brown.

On Wednesday, Sam Spiegelman of Rivals reported that Brown is now down to just eight programs vying for his commitment. The eight teams to make the cut include Baylor, Texas, Ole Miss, SMU, Colorado, Notre Dame, Utah, and Illinois.

Brown is a big-time recruit. He is a 6-foot, 190-pound wide receiver out of Waxahachie High School in Texas. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 512 player in the class of 2026. Brown is also the No. 84 wide receiver in the country and the No. 72 player coming out of Texas.

I think it is safe to say that the recruiting sites underrated Brown. With roughly 41 scholarship offers, he had his choice of just about any program in the country. Brown has started to set up official visits, though. He will be making the trip to Utah this weekend. He then visits Texas on June 6, Notre Dame on June 13, and Ole Miss on June 20.

Illinois is carrying the torch for the Big Ten in the Kohen Brown recruitment

It is never easy trying to go into the state of Texas and pulling out a big-time recruit. Illinois has done it a few times in the past, with the last big recruit being Marquez Beason.

In fact, the Bielema era hasn’t really focused on the state of Texas much. There have only been two freshmen to come out of the Lone Star State who have joined the Illini since Bielema has been the head coach. Samari Collier was in the class of 2021, so he was already committed. The other player is Kaedyn Cobbs, who is coming in from the class of 2026.

So, Illinois being in the running for any Texas players is a bit surprising, let alone a player who has numerous scholarship offers. With that being said, Illinois is carrying the torch for the Big Ten when it comes to this big-time recruit.

It is going to be tough to beat out some of the other programs on Brown’s top list. Snagging a Texas recruit away from Texas will be a difficult feat. It is definitely not out of the question, though.

Illinois will be able to offer Brown playing time, an offense that has been building, future quarterback stability, and an NIL package. With the way the athletic department is running, I wouldn’t count out Illinois for a lot of recruits. Let’s see if we can get an official visit first, though.