It has been an incredible start to 2026, as the Illinois basketball team is doing things that only elite programs do.
The Illini are less than a month removed from making a Final Four run. While we didn’t get to the pinnacle of the game, that was the furthest the program had made it in over 20 years.
Brad Underwood has also done a great job retaining and adding talent. Most of the roster will be back next season, and Illinois also pulled in numerous talented recruits. One of those players is Quentin Coleman.
On Monday, 247Sports updated their composite rankings. Coleman was one of the beneficiaries of that decision, as he went from being a four-star recruit to being a newly minted five-star talent.
The recruiting ranking also skyrocketed for Coleman. He was the No. 90 player in the class of 2026 before Monday, and now 247Sports lists him as the No. 27 player in the country. That is an incredible jump.
Quentin Coleman’s massive jump in the recruiting rankings should help his case when it comes to a starting job at Illinois
Over the last couple of weeks, I have put together adjusted projected lineups for next season. The latest one I did, after the Zavier Zens commitment, I had the No. 2 guard being Coleman.
I could see some people scoffing at that, but with the way the Illinois lineup is shaking out, and both of our starting backcourt players departing, this gave Coleman a runway to become one of the two starting guards on the team.
The latest recruiting update should only strengthen the opinion that he will start next season. Five-star players don’t ride the pine.
Coleman has everything going for him right now. He is now a five-star. He won the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game as a senior. He has everything you want in a player.
It will be interesting to see how Underwood navigates the starting lineup. I think the No. 2 spot is Coleman’s to lose. The reshuffling of the recruiting rankings on Monday only gives me more ammo to think he is going to start in 2026-27.
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