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Underrated in-state recruit taking Illinois football official visit

The Illinois football team is looking to build on a special class of 2026, and adding this under-the-radar in-state recruit would be huge.
ByRees Woodcock|
Sep 8, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; A general view of the helmet worn by Illinois Fighting Illini offensive lineman Zachary Barlev (68) during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; A general view of the helmet worn by Illinois Fighting Illini offensive lineman Zachary Barlev (68) during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

It is pretty wild what the Illinois football program is doing right now with the class of 2026.

Honestly, Illini fans haven’t seen this type of recruiting in quite some time. We have the No. 13 class in the country with 11 players committed thus far.

More players are sure to sign up in the near future, too. This weekend is a big one for official visits, as Bret Bielema welcomes in some of the top players still left on the board for 2026.

One player to keep an eye on is Tony Balanganayi. On Friday, Allen Trieu of 247Sports reported that Balanganayi will be in Champaign this weekend for an official visit. He also reported that both Missouri and Iowa State will get visits. Those will be on May 30 and June 6, respectively.

Balanganayi is a big-time player and would be a great get for the Illini. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound interior offensive lineman is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 847 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 80 interior offensive lineman in the country and the No. 22 player coming out of Illinois.

It is puzzling that recruiting sites have Illinois football target Tony Balanganayi rated so low

I would love if Illinois could pull in Balanganayi. He is a nice player who is from Palatine, Illinois. I always want to keep players home. On top of that, I think this kid is extremely underrated.

On3.com has Balanganayi barely inside the top 1000 nationally. 247Sports has him roughly the same, as he is only the No. 21 player in the state of Illinois on their site.

Here is the thing. Balanganayi has roughly 18 scholarship offers from some big-time programs. We know Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa State, but teams like Auburn, Michigan, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, and Nebraska, among others, are all in on this kid.

What that says to me is that they all see something special in Balanganayi. You usually don’t see that many big-time programs after a borderline top 1000 recruit. Hopefully, Illinois can impress him and keep him in-state for the near future.

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