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Illinois Basketball's 2026 Recruiting Class Taking Shape: Are Concerns Warranted?
Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Illinois Basketball's 2026 Recruiting Class Taking Shape: Are Concerns Warranted?

Originally posted on Illinois Fighting Illini on SI
By Jackson Langendorf  |  Last updated Aug 6, 2025 3:26 PM ET

Illinois’ fan base has grown accustomed to coach Brad Underwood and his staff bringing aboard some of college basketball's top prospects. Since Underwood took over in March of 2017, he has landed a pair of five-star recruits in Will Riley (class of 2024) and Ayo Dosunmu (class of 2018), along with a plethora of top-50 prospects, including both Morez Johnson Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis in 2024.

The precedent has been set. Illinois attracts the country’s – and the world’s – top talent and then develops those players before sending them off to the league. Right?

Well, given the current status of the Illini's class of 2026 – which includes guard Ethan Brown and forward Landon Davis, neither of whom rank among the top 150 in their class – it seems Underwood isn't setting the bar as high as he once had. Keep in mind, this also follows up a class of 2025 high school haul that included just one top-100 recruit in guard Brandon Lee (No. 97).

But fear not, Illini fans, because there’s no reason to fret. Here’s why:

International recruiting

Jakucionis, Riley and Tomislav Ivisic didn’t verbally pledge to Illinois until May (Jakucionis and Ivisic) and late June (Riley) of 2024. This year, the Illini added both David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic in April. Underwood has shown zero signs of straying from his international path, which means Illinois will be in the hunt for top overseas talent again – but perhaps not until spring of next year.

Ethan Brown and Landon Davis

Based purely on rankings, Brown and Davis aren’t the typical decorated talents that have recently been attracted to Champaign, but they both offer a combination highly coveted by Underwood: positional size and shooting. Brown and Davis – albeit playing different positions – fit the Illini scheme perfectly. And although both have athletic limitations that may limit their ceilings, Illinois has a solution for that: strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher. Both Brown and Davis may need time to develop, but each will have the opportunity to blossom into productive rotation pieces – and perhaps more.

Top prospects are pushing back commitment dates

The point has been driven into the ground, but it's an important reminder here: Top college basketball prospects are committing later. To put it into perspective, only three class of 2026 players in the top 25 have committed so far, and just five in the top 50. Between lingering, unresolved NIL changes and the presence of the transfer portal, the best recruits have been waiting until the last minute to make their decisions. Although there is no guarantee that Underwood and his staff will add a top-50 recruit either during the season, or even after it, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball's Best of the Century: No. 8 Luther Head

Illinois Soars Up 2026 Recruiting Rankings After Ethan Brown Commitment

Key Illinois Target and Top-10 2026 Recruit Schedules Visit With Big Ten Foe

Should the Chicago Bulls Commit to Former Illini Guard Ayo Dosunmu?

Kylan Boswell Raves About Illinois Freshman Keaton Wagler: 'He's Cold'

This article first appeared on Illinois Fighting Illini on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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