The Illinois football team is looking to build on past recruiting success with another great group in 2027.
It is going to be hard for Bret Bielema to follow up on his class of 2026. The Illini pulled in a top-25 freshman class, and that set the tone for the rest of time.
The class of 2027 has a chance to be pretty good, too. I am not sure if it will rise to the level of the top 25, as Bielema has said it could be smaller, but it still has some big-time recruits left on the board.
Here are the top five recruits Illinois football needs to land from the massive June official visits
1. Cameron Wagner (4-star) – 6-foot-6, 300 pounds – Offensive Tackle
The obvious top recruit Illinois needs to be able to pull is on Cameron Wagner.
Wagner is a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle from St. Joseph-Ogden High School in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 345 player in the class of 2027.
In mid-April, Wagner narrowed the scope of his recruit to just four teams. Oregon, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, and Illinois were on that list.
I believe the Irish are the team to beat in this recruitment. As of late, both Oregon and Wisconsin have been putting a full-court press on the football star, though.
Wagner’s official visit schedule looks like this: Wisconsin May 29, Illinois June 5, Oregon June 12, and Notre Dame June 19.
2. Jaiden Kelly-Murray (4-star) – 5-foot-10, 170 pounds – Wide Receiver
Illinois is always in need of a big-time wide receiver who can open the field, and that is what Jaiden Kelly-Murray can bring to the table.
Kelly-Murray is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound wide receiver from Oceanside Collegiate Academy in South Carolina. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 304 player in the class of 2027.
It seems that Virginia Tech has the momentum to land Kelly-Murray right now, as they have a Crystal Ball Prediction in place. That prediction is only a six out of 10, and it was placed in early April, so take that with a grain of salt.
Back in March, I thought this recruitment was over. Kelly-Murray made a commitment to South Carolina, and that seemed like the end of the story. Just about a month later, he reopened his recruitment, and scholarships continued to flood in.
Kelly-Murray’s official visit schedule looks like this: Virginia Tech May 29, Illinois June 5, Wake Forest June 12, Colorado June 19
3. James Johnson (3-star) – 6-foot-3, 185 pounds – Safety
The dominant secondary has waned in the last couple of seasons, and I want Illinois to get back to that defensive greatness. James Johnson would help that cause.
Johnson is a 6-foot-3, 185-pound safety from Belleville East High School in Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 829 player in the class of 2027.
I believe Johnson would enter the Illinois program as a safety, but he is such a great athlete that he can play on both sides of the ball. The Illini have Justin Johnson, a four-star cornerback, already committed for 2027. The law firm of Johnson and Johnson has a nice ring to it.
It doesn’t look like there are any frontrunners for Johnson’s commitment right now. He is still piling up the scholarship offers, but landing another in-state recruit would be big for the Orange and Blue.
Johnson’s official visit schedule looks like this: Cincinnati June 5, Illinois June 12, and West Virginia June 19.
4. Trezavant Boyd (3-star) – 5-foot-10, 150 pounds – Cornerback
I am all about that Illinois secondary and building out a deep rotation of talent. We need to get back to locking teams down in the defensive backfield, and Trezavant Boyd would be a key piece.
Boyd is a 5-foot-10, 150-pound cornerback from Miami Central High School in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 696 player in the class of 2027.
It does seem like Illinois has a nice chance at landing Boyd. There aren’t a ton of official visits scheduled yet, and Boyd already has quite a few big-time scholarship offers.
The fact that teams like Miami, Georgia, and Florida State have all extended offers, but Boyd isn’t scheduling official visits, is a good sign for the Illini. The biggest competitor right now seems to be UCF.
Boyd’s official visits schedule looks like this: UCF June 12, and Illinois June 19
5. Owen Roberts (3-star) – 6-foot-4, 230 pounds – Outside Linebacker
In the Bielema era, the Illinois football program has focused a lot on edge players, and they flip over to outside linebacker on the roster. Owen Roberts would be a perfect fit for the Illini.
Roberts is a 6-foot-4, 230-pound edge from York High School in Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 978 player in the class of 2027.
A ton of solid programs are eyeing Roberts, as he has roughly 20 scholarship offers on the table right now. It doesn’t seem like there is a clear favorite to land him right now, but Kansas is starting to put some pressure on his recruitment.
Roberts had already been on an unofficial visit to Kansas once, and he started his official visit schedule last weekend when he went back to Lawrence. The fact that he hasn’t committed is a great sign for the future official visits, like the one to Illinois.
Roberts’ official visit schedule looks like this: Kansas May 1, Kansas State May 29, Illinois June 12, and Purdue June 19.
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