Football

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema has said for severa weeks that multiple high school signees could find themselves in the starting lineup for the 2026 season opener by September. Here’s a look a five possibilities.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 3, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — This 2026 recruiting class represents a brad new world for Illinois head coach Bret Bielema.

The fifth-year head coach, who just wrapped up his first consensus Top 25 ranked signing class on Wednesday, has consistently said for the last two weeks that he believes this recruiting haul could have multiple true freshman starters for the upcoming 2026 season. This is a claim that Bielema has never been able to publicly declare in his 16 years as a college football head coach despite winning three straight Big Ten Conference championships at Wisconsin and going to three straight bowl games at Arkansas.

“So, I knew when we signed Gabe Jacas that he was going to be a good player. I had a good feeling on that one,” Bielema said. “What makes this class different than any other class I’ve had here is I think I’ve got two to four guys who could walk in the door and instantly be starters. It’s not because they’re athletic but it’s because well, a lot of time freshmen play because of their mental ability more than their physical ability. You have to have a certain awareness in the way you’ve been built and this class will have a higher number of those people than any other I’ve ever had.”

IlliniGuys.com wanted to preview five possible instant starting options for the 2026 Illini that Bielema and his staff have acquired in this recruiting class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ4qHv2tdTU    

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

December 3, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

These are not the 10 highest rated, and probably not the 10 best players at this moment that Illinois is adding on signing day. But these are 10 guys that I think are the most important and will make a big impact at Illinois over the next 4 or 5 years.

This is a top 25 recruiting class and a class that has a chance to lay the groundwork for the Illini moving up a notch in the college football world.

Nick Hankins - Guys with elite cover skills do not grow on trees

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 3, 2025

(Cover photo player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — IlliniGuys Football Writer and Analyst Matt Stevens had a hunch that Illinois had a strong chance of flipping offensive lineman Micah Smith, a 6-foot-5, 325-pound standout from Vero Beach High School in Vero Beach, Florida. That prediction proved accurate, as Smith backed off his pledge to UCLA and is now set to join Illinois’ 2026 recruiting class.

Smith originally committed to the Bruins in May, but Illinois was one of the programs heavily involved with him early. Before choosing UCLA, he held offers from a long list of national powers, including Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa State, Florida State, Ole Miss, Penn State, and North Carolina.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 3, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Chowan University)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois continues to build momentum in building a solid roster for next year, securing a commitment from Chowan University quarterback Maurice Smith Jr., who was officially offered a scholarship on Nov. 16 according to On3. The Illini have landed several impactful JUCO players in recent days, but adding a seasoned quarterback with proven production marks another meaningful step in reshaping the roster.

Smith, originally from Vero Beach, Florida, will arrive with one year of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound quarterback posted impressive numbers for the Hawks, throwing for 3,243 yards and 25 touchdowns this past season.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 3, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois landed a major recruiting victory as running back Javari Barnett decommitted from Alabama and returned to the Illini’s 2026 class. Barnett, once an Illinois pledge, had continued communication with the staff even after committing to the Crimson Tide. That persistence paid off; the Tampa Bay Tech standout will now wear orange and blue next season.

Barnett, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back, held offers from Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Iowa, Baylor, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. The Tampa, Florida, product is ranked the No. 38 running back in the nation by Rivals and On3.

By IlliniGuys Staff

December 3, 2025

Just days after becoming the third coach in program history to put together back-to-back eight-win campaigns, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is planning for his sixth season on campus as verbal commits become official during today's National Signing Day.

More than two dozen future Illini are expected to submit Letters of Intent to don the orange and blue. Here's a look at the recruiting class of 2026:

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 2, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With his offensive line set to lose some of its most veteran voices this offseason, Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema has wasted no time picking up some game-ready players to protect his quarterback for the 2026 season.

On Tuesday, the program picked up a commitment from three-star JUCO interior offensive lineman Maika Matelau. Hailing from Ontario, California, and currently playing at Mt. San Antonio College, there was a long list of Power Five suitors to pick up Matelau. Illinois beat out Wisconsin, Michigan State, BYU, NC State, California, and Oklahoma State, among others, to grab a commitment from Matelau, who is of Tongan descent. At 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, Matelau is rated as the top JUCO IOL in the nation by 247Sports, and the 19th-best JUCO recruit overall.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

December 2, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

Illinois digging deep into the JUCO ranks as the Illini start to make plans for next year and as I write this have added three potential starters from junior colleges in the last week. In my humble opinion, Jakwon Morris is the best of the three. Morris was ranked by some as the top junior college cornerback in the nation and broke a commitment to USC when he picked the Illini. Morris is from Mississippi, like many of the current Illini and fellow JUCO cornerback Kaleb Patterson, but aside from that fact he's going to fit right in with the Illini because he's a carbon copy of the stream of defensive backs who've made their way to Champaign from Florida.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

If you've read my trench reports, you've noticed that Illinois has had a consistent problem with

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 2, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The early signing period opens this Wednesday, and with under 24 hours to go before high school and junior college athletes will put pen to paper to sign their name to their program of choice for the 2026-27 season, IlliniGuys has put together a short list of players that the Illinois Fighting Illini Football staff may be working around the clock to flip during these three days.

DL Lance Dawson – 6-5, 250 lbs. (Avon, Ohio)
While Dawson, a three-star recruit, has been committed to play for Cincinnati since June, he has been getting some interest from other teams looking to swoop in, and with a defensive line that will graduate no fewer than three players this year, the Avon, Ohio native makes sense as someone to go after.

Ohio prep linebacker and Cincinnati commit Lance Dawson took in an Illini home game in November as he contemplates his future. (Courtesy Zeno Jo/IlliniGuys)

Standing at 6-foot-5 and carrying a background as a three-sport athlete in basketball, track, and football, Dawson possesses speed and athleticism that a lot of defensive linemen his size don’t. That can be appealing to coaches.

“I’ve been closing doors because a lot of schools are just reaching out to just try to get me with money, but I know I’m here to find a home or place that actually fits me,” Dawson told IlliniGuys earlier this fall. “Right now I’ve only been talking to West Virginia, Illinois, Cincinnati, obviously I’m committed to Cincinnati, but their staff knows I’m keeping my doors open and I just want to finish out my recruiting process.”

Dawson and his family members were adorned in Illinois gear during their visit, which took place during the Illini’s win over Rutgers last month.

EDGE Ian Campbell – 6-2, 235 lbs. (Joliet, Illinois)
With several members of the front line of defense set to graduate,

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular December 2, 2025 The […]

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema’s coaching tree grows as Charlie Bullen gets defensive play-calling duties with the New York Giants.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

December 1, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When he sits down to watch the ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcast, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will once again be a big supporter of the New York Giants.

The branches of the Bielema coaching tree now extends to a defensive play-caller in the National Football League as former Illinois outside linebacker Charlie Bullen will call the defense tonight for the first time in his career against the New England Patriots.

Bullen was promoted to Giants defensive coordinator following the firing of Shane Bowen on Nov. 24 by current head coach Mike Kafka. The chaos with the Giants organization in the 2025 season when Bielema, who was Bullen’s former boss in the 2023 season, took a quick visit to the New York/New Jersey area mid-October during the Illini’s second bye week when Brian Daboll was fired after going 2-8 to start this season.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 1, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In an age when the transfer portal fuels college football’s fast-paced traffic, Illinois is moving with a different tone. The Illini are targeting junior college standouts, tapping into a path most call it the old school approach in recruiting.

Why call it old school? Because the modern landscape revolves around the transfer portal. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will unquestionably tap into the portal like every other power-conference program, but as IlliniGuys’ Mike Cagley, co-host of Sports Spectacular on I on the Illini, put it, “This junior college experiment by Bielema I like, because you can get top talent for a lot cheaper and build a good roster, especially if they can evaluate good talent.”

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

December 1, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Mother Nature made Illinois' last game of the 2025 regular season a little more interesting that we would have liked, but the Illini managed to turn tough weather conditions into a memorable final game at Memorial Stadium for a final 8-4 record and the first consecutive 8-win seasons since 1989 and 1990. While it was a letdown from initial expectations on the season, this was a bigger win for the program than anyone in the Smith Center wanted to admit coming off a stinker in Madison last week. And, in a special turn of events compared to the rest of the season, the defense was the unit that carried the Illini rather than the offense. So, I'm going to start with their highlights this week.

On the first highlight I wanted to use this space to correct a wrong. The announcers attributed this big gain to a missed tackle from Matthew Bailey, but if you look again, you'll see he makes a great play.

Following the 20-13 victory over Northwestern, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema hints at a defensive staff rollover for the 2026 season.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 30, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Bret Bielema dropped a hint Saturday night that he’s not looking to make changes to the Illinois defensive coaching staff for the upcoming 2026 season.

Following the Illini’s 20-13 victory over Northwestern in the snow-filled rivalry game, Bielema answered a reporter’s question about his team’s defense being resilient following a down performance in the previous week by saying he’s “really going to enjoy working with (the defensive staff) during the bowl prep”. Bielema then proceeded to name every defensive positional coach with being “prideful” and “the most prepared individuals on a staff he’s ever worked with”.