Football Recruiting Spotlight on Jaylen Stewart

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

June 21, 2025

Illinois got its first big flip of the 2026 recruiting season when Pearland (Tx) outside linebacker Jaylen Stewart changed his commitment from Oklahoma State to Illinois.  Stewart is a 6'2, 220 pounder who is a plus athlete and put up very good numbers as a junior at Texas' highest level of competition, which is an extremely rare thing to say about an Illinois recruit.  Illinois has picked up some valuable players from Texas over the years, but aside from Marquez Beason they've been under the radar types.  However, Illinois . . .

 

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