By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

June 28, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

Illinois' whirlwind recruiting weekend last week culminated with the guy that, in my humble opinion, is the best of this recent group when Belleville East's Nick Hankins committed to the Illini over offers from dozens of schools headlined by USC, Tennessee and Missouri.  Hankins is a 6'0, 190 pound wide receiver and corner who will likely settle in at cornerback for the Illini.  Hankins is a high 3-star player from all the rating services, yet he's also a composite 4-star player (word of advice: don't hurt your head by trying to do the math on that).  However, he's a clear 4-star player in my book and an obvious top 10 player in the state of Illinois.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

What doesn't he bring?  If you want to split hairs, Hankins is only a good athlete rather than a great one.  His top speed is good, but his quickness and change of direction is only average.  However, his toughness, competitive drive, agility and length are absolutely top notch.  Hankins might only be a good athlete, but he's a great football player.  Let me start this evaluation exactly like Hankins did: by highlighting Hankins' toughness.  I not only love that Hankins is the type of guy who absolutely owns the kid trying to come block him by de-cleating him with a two-handed shove to the chest, but he then de-cleats the runner by doing the same thing.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18322829/672392e4293ffa7899fc4867

Not only do I love the toughness that Hankins shows here, I love that he knows enough about football to put it at the front of his highlight film.  That clip tells me all I need to know about whether I want to offer Hankins a spot on my team.  However, after you move past the dominating block he lays on offense and the nice body control touchdown catch, you see a clip at :37 that's even better.  Hankins is playing outside corner, communicates with his teammates pre-snap, and then reads the play to get himself an easy interception that the quarterback couldn't have anticipated before returning for a pick 6.  That's one of the best high school plays I've ever seen.  Its just unfair to expect a high school QB to see a cornerback leave his responsibility on the clear out underneath route and jump the route behind him.  There are a whole lot of Big Ten quarterbacks who wouldn't see that either.  Hankins makes an interception a little later than that on a similar play where he reads the play and leaves his responsibility with the ball in the air.   Hankins only had 28 tackles and 4 interceptions on defense, but as I watch more and more video it's obvious that the other teams are avoiding him.  That seems crazy given the Belleville East is a quality team that surely has other good players.... but that's what happened.  Hankins also had 5 touchdowns on offense in only 27 catches.

And, though I don't find much value in practice videos, this particular practice video is an eye catcher if only because of the timing and the backdrop:

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/18322829/672392e4293ffa7899fc4867

Belleville East came to Champaign to hold a 7 on 7 scrimmage at the Memorial Stadium and practice fields next door and Hankins posted it.

Where does he fit in?

For most of the Aaron Henry/Ryan Walters era, Illinois has recruited cornerback and safety  tweeners and then sorted out where they fit best in the five-man secondary.  However, with Hankins and fellow Class of 2026 member Almirian Thomas, they seem to have moved past that and gotten some pure corners.  I wouldn't mind seeing Hankins play some safety too so he is in a position to make more plays, but as a program Illinois has reached the point where they don't necessarily need to feature a guy like Hankins because there are playmakers all over the place.  With this current class, ranked 7th or 8th depending on who you believe, Illinois is shifting into another gear and preparing for a brighter future.

So, I'm obviously very excited about this addition.  Nick Hankins is the best player Illinois has grabbed from the Metro East since Isaiah Williams 2.0.  He's going to be a big part of our future, and he's hopefully the first of many Metro East players to spurn Missouri and choose to stay in Big Ten country.  Give this addition a 9 on the 10 point excitement scale.