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Jackson Buchanan will have his childhood friend Sam Haynes on the bag as the former All-American and four-year starter at Illinois makes his professional debut in the 2025 U.S. Open.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

June 12, 2025

Even before graduating and finishing his college golf career at the University of Illinois, Jackson Buchanan began planning out the start of his professional career and for a golfer, your caddie is one of those critical decisions.

Against the consistent advice of his parents, his new agency and his new equipment partner, Buchanan was set on beginning this journey with his childhood friend who’s played the game with as a kid growing up in Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta. 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 11, 2025

For the next several days, I will break down one current men’s and women’s basketball player each day and discuss what expectations might be for the upcoming season.

Today's Double Dribble 2-1 Focus: Destiny Jackson and Brandon Lee.

Player Biography: A 5-foot-6 point guard from Chicago's Whitney Young High School, Destiny Jackson has won a plethora of awards and was one of the biggest recruiting victories during Shauna Green's tenure as head coach at Illinois so far.

ESPN HoopGurlz ranks Jackson as the No. 29 prospect in the 2026 class. The 2025 Miss Basketball in Illinois picked the Illini over Arizona, Baylor, North Carolina, West Virginia, Iowa, Florida, and Michigan State.

What we know:

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 11, 2025

For the next several days, I will break down one current men’s and women’s basketball player each day and discuss what expectations might be for the upcoming season.

Today's Double Dribble 2-1 Focus: Brandon Lee and Destiny Jackson

Player Biography: Brandon Lee is a 6-foot-5, 180-pound combo guard from Hillside, New Jersey, where he played at The Patrick School. A high-scoring guard, one of the main reasons Illinois associate head coach Orlando Antigua was drawn to Lee was his natural scoring ability. His upside speaks volumes. While his offer list might not have turned heads, he passed the eye test for the Illini coaching staff. Lee ultimately picked Illinois over High Point, Rhode Island, and Missouri State.

What we know:

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illini aren’t stopping. They are building their brand and making it known that Illinois' recent success on the field wasn’t a fluke. Sure, coaching matters, but it certainly helps when you have a talented and deep roster, which is exactly what Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is assembling.

Nelsyn Wheeler, a 5-foot-9 running back from Millard South in Omaha, Nebraska, is the latest addition to an already impressive recruiting class built by Bielema and his staff.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Bret Bielema continues to stay hot on the recruiting trail as the Fighting Illini builds momentum with their 2026 class. Tonight, Illinois received a commitment from three-star tight end Will Vala, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound prospect out of Downers Grove North High School in Illinois.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's Instagram page)

For the next several days, I will break down one current men’s and women’s basketball player each day and discuss what expectations might be for the upcoming season.

Today's Double Dribble 2-1 Focus: Manuella Alves and David Mirkovic

Player Biography: Manuella Alves is a 6-foot-3 forward from IMG Academy (Fla.). Alves is a four-star prep prospect, ranked as the nation's 48th-best player in the class of 2025 by ESPN HoopGurlz. She chose Illinois over programs like North Carolina, Louisville, Iowa, and Miami (Fla.).

What we know:

The new regulations being put in place following the House vs. NCAA settlement isn’t about creating a level playing field or fairness for Illinois or any other program. It’s just another attempt to restrict/cap athlete’s revenue while still avoid making them employees.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 9, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Just when you might think it’s impossible for college sports administrative leadership could make its governing system worse, they manage to always find a way to dig the hole even deeper.

The more I read the 76-page opinion of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approving the House vs. NCAA settlement in California, I’m once again reminded to never underestimate how athletics directors and university athletics administrators never cease to make a situation more deplorable especially if their intention was to fix something.

Is the settlement historic? Obviously, yes. Athletes will now get a piece of the revenue they create in a way that should have happened decades ago and nothing about that is wrong or bad. This fact is undoubtably a step forward for the workforce (the athletes) that has been the backbone of creating these big brands in college sports to allow university administrators see millions of school revenue in ticket sales and donations while also see the total college sports dynamic reach billions of dollars in revenue in media rights contracts.

Is anything else in college athletics fixed? No, it most certainly is not.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 8, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's Instagram page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois assistant coach Zach Hamer is starting to emerge as a key figure on the recruiting trail for the Fighting Illini. Head coach Brad Underwood appears to have identified Hamer’s potential early, seeing value others may have overlooked. Known for being a quick study and highly adaptable, Hamer is now working to prove himself in the critical area of recruiting.

Starting July 1, all Division I schools will have the opportunity to directly pay players for the first time in collegiate sports history.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 7, 2025

In just over three weeks, all Division I athletics departments will have the opportunity to directly pay players via revenue sharing for the first time in the history of collegiate sports.

Following the 76-page opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken detailed will offer $2.8 billion in damages to past athletes who did not have the opportunity to receive such revenue sharing payments during their time as athletes as well as allow all Division I schools to pay out as much as a reported $20.5 million annually to all the current players in their athletic departments.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 7, 2025

For the next several days, I will break down one current men’s and women’s basketball player each day and discuss what expectations might be for the upcoming season.

Today's Double Dribble 2-1 Focus: David Mirkovic and Manuella Alves-Fernandez

Player Biography: David Mirkovic is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward from Niksic, Montenegro. Illinois fans got a glimpse of Mirkovic at the Nike Hoops Summit. Most came away with a better understanding that he's not a roster filler, he's going to see time on the court this upcoming season.

What we know:

College football coaches just like Illinois head coach Bret Bielema could have, at most, a few weeks to implement the roster implementations of the House vs. NCAA settlement terms.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 6, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Just 25 days.

This is the amount of time, less than one month before college sports head coaches of fall sports will have to implement the roster limitations agreed upon in the settlement of the House vs. NCAA case along with two other class action lawsuits (Hubbard vs. NCAA and Carter vs. NCAA) that currently has been submitted to Northern California District Court in San Francisco, California.

That is, if District Court judge Claudia Wilken approves the amended settlement terms. And at this point, that remains a very curious use of the word ‘if’.

Illinois slated to have a half dozen uncommitted prospects for the 2026 recruiting class on campus for official visits this weekend

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

June 6, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Nick Hankins' page on X)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The first weekend in June has always represented the most important recruiting time for Bret Bielema’s Illinois program.

The Illinois head coach, who is entering his fifth season, has repeatedly the called this weekend critical to the success of the recruiting victories Bielema and his staff have acquired over the last few seasons.

With the weather being warm and players still being campus for summer workout sessions with football strength and conditioning coach Tenarius ‘Tank’ Wright, northern programs such as Illinois need to have their June visits be the final sell for uncommitted prospects before other programs with weather advantages in the fall can have their shot at official visits.

In the 2024 recruiting class, Illinois signed 11 of the 16 high school prospects in the weeks following their June visits. In the 2025 class, seven prospects either gave their first and only verbal pledge to Illinois or flipped their decision to the Illini days after taking an official visit during the first two weekends in June.

Illinois reportedly adds premier home non-conference battle against Texas […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 5, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – IlliniGuys, it's been a tad slow, but things are about to pick up again for the Illinois men's basketball program.

Here are a few updates to get the blood flowing for Illini Nation in June, so let’s dive right into it.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

June 4, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The silence from former Illinois freshman Will Riley at the NBA Draft deadline last week made it clear: the former 5-star recruit isn't coming back to Champaign as a player. Maybe to visit, but that’s it.

The NBA Draft process is still unfolding, but Riley's camp remains focused. According to his mother Tracy, “Will is still going through the process. He's currently in Los Angeles training. I was with Will at the Combine in Chicago, it was well-run and effective. I think Will did well at the combine, in the gym, and in the interview process. When he was in Los Angeles, part of his training was to prepare him mentally and physically. Will is locked in, focused, and spending countless hours in the gym and recovery.”