From the day he was hired five years ago, Bret Bielema was clear about one thing.
“We are making Illinois kids a priority here,” Bielema said in his introductory press conference as Illinois football coach in December 2020. “If you are a player from Illinois playing somewhere else, I want you to come here. I want you to know I am listening to you.”
Five years in, Bielema’s commitment continues to pay off as the Illini’s early signing-day haul demonstrated. On Dec. 3, Illinois locked in six of the state’s consensus top 25 players in the 2026 recruiting cycle: Belleville West cornerback Nick Hankins (No. 3), Morgan Park athlete Nasir Rankin (No. 8), DeKalb wide receiver Davon Grant (No. 16), Richland County offensive tackle Casey Thomson (No. 17), Palatine defensive lineman Tony Balanganayi (No. 18) and Lincoln-Way East edge rusher Jacob Alexander (tied for No. 25).
Bielema, who grew up in Prophetstown in the northwest part of the state, was hired to rebuild a program that had struggled mightily under predecessors Tim Beckman and Lovie Smith. Together with Bill Cubit — the caretaker head coach in 2015 when Beckman was fired days before the season opener amid allegations of mistreating players — they combined for nine straight losing seasons while top in-state talent fled for more successful programs.
Smith did bring a degree of stability and seriousness to Champaign in the wake of Beckman’s chaotic tenure. But his roots and recruiting contacts were in Texas. The former Bears coach didn’t reach out to rebuild the program’s relationship with the state’s high-school coaches.
Bielema moved to fix that immediately, hiring the widely respected Pat Ryan — a seven-time state champion coach at Metamora — as director of high-school relations.
Now, Illinois prep coaches are more likely to pick up the phone when Illini staffers call and the state’s top prospects are more likely to seriously consider the Illini.
But Bielema still has work to do. While the Illini have been landing some of the state’s best players, some of the highest profile recruits are still heading elsewhere.
In the current cycle, USC swooped in to sign Lincoln-Way East quarterback and Sun-Times Player of the Year Jonas Williams, ranked No. 1 in the state, and Mount Carmel defensive lineman Braeden Jones, ranked No. 12.
Other top recruits leaving the state include No. 2 Dunlap tight end Mack Sutter (Alabama), No. 4 South Elgin tight end Gavin Mueller (Miami), No. 5 Mount Carmel offensive tackle Claude Mpouma (Nebraska), No. 6 Naperville North defensive lineman Gabriel Hill (Indiana) and No. 7 Mount Zion tight end JC Anderson (LSU).
No Power Four school will get every top in-state player. And high-school recruiting isn’t as important in roster-building as it was before the rise of the transfer portal.
But Power Four programs can’t fill all their needs from the portal, and keeping top in-state talent home remains part of the overall recruiting strategy.
Some other quick takes on early signing day:
Wildcats still a player
Northwestern coach David Braun has followed the lead of his predecessor, Pat Fitzgerald (newly hired to rebuild the Michigan State program), in finding local players who have the academic and athletic skills to fit in with the Wildcats.
Braun landed four top-40 in-state recruits: offensive linemen Owen Fors of Barrington and Owen Jakubczak of Fremd, Fremd quarterback Johnny O’Brien and St. Charles North wide receiver Keaton Reinke.
Border wars
Two neighboring Big Ten programs that have long recruited heavily and successfully in the state — Iowa and Wisconsin — barely made a splash.
The Hawkeyes’ only local signee was Hinsdale Central offensive lineman Gene Riordan. The Badgers have no 2026 recruits from Illinois.
Looking ahead
Though most of the top-level local talent made their choices official at the early signing day, there are some elite players still available ahead of the Feb. 3 late signing day.
The best are Mount Carmel edge rusher Joey Quinn, who decommitted from Vanderbilt, and Nazareth receiver Trenton Walker.