Three-star offensive lineman Mason Halliman informed Illinois head coach Bret Bielema of his intention to sign with the Illini and instantly becomes the Illini’s second verbal in the 2027 class.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Beat Reporter

May 9, 2026

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois has added the state’s highest-ranked interior offensive lineman to its 2027 recruiting class.

Mason Halliman, a three-star offensive lineman from Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Ill., gave his verbal pledge to Illinois head coach Bret Bielema on Saturday morning to become the second member of the 2027 recruiting class.

Halliman, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound offensive lineman, spent his sophomore season in 2024 playing right tackle and flipped to the other side to play left tackle for his junior season this past fall while protecting 4-star 2026 prospect Jonas Williams, who was an early enrollee at Southern California this spring. During the three seasons Williams had Halliman protecting his frontside and blindside on the offensive line, Williams would eventually break the Illinois High School Association record for 11,347 passing yards and 147 touchdowns throughout his career.

In 2024, Lincoln-Way East went 12-1 where they were the conference champions in the inaugural season of the newly formed Southwest Valley Conference and reached the semifinals of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs.

In 2025, Lincoln-Way East went 9-3 and tied for the Southwest Valley Conference title and reached the quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs where they lost to state champion Mount Carmel.

Illinois was aggressive early in the recruitment of Halliman by offering the in-state product nearly a year ago in May 2025 and attended a pair of spring practices at Illinois during an official visit from April 10-12. Bielema was accompanied by six other Illini assistant coaches/staff members, including general manager Pat Embleton, offensive line Bart Miller and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., when they visited Lincoln-Way East High School at the end of January.

“Normally, we have waited until June, but these guys (in April) were taking their visits then so we couldn’t wait like we wanted to,” Bielema said on a Zoom media session with local reporters on May 1. “Because our class is going to be small, we really have to prioritize on when we bring guys in (for official visits). That’s a whole other conversation: A) You’re trying to get a number (of players) filled in a particular position but you don’t want to get a commitment from the wrong guy first if you got a guy you want more ahead of him coming later…I would say the first two weeks in June are going to be big for us.”

Halliman is expected to attend the Illini’s Big Man Camp at Gies Memorial Stadium next month as he becomes the first offensive line prospect to verbally commit to Illinois’ 2027 recruiting class just as his recruiting buzz was starting to pick up nationally. From the time the calendar flipped to 2026, Halliman received offers from Penn State, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Halliman, who comes from the same high school as current NFL starting center Nick Allegreti and Illini second-year linebacker Jacob Alexander, had attended Iowa’s Junior Day festivities and had an official visit scheduled in Iowa City in June before calling Bielema with his verbal pledge on Saturday morning. Halliman also attended a spring practice at Georgia Tech just a week before going on his official visit to Illinois.

Halliman joins four-star defensive back prospect Justin Johnson from Evanston (Ill.) Township High School as the only two commits of the Illini’s 2027 class. Illinois continues to search for its quarterback signee in this 2027 class after 4-star Kamden Lopati flipped his early verbal pledge from Illinois to Michigan this past month.

Halliman is rated by both 247Sports.com and Rivals./On3.com as the highest ranked interior offensive lineman in Illinois for the 2027 recruiting class as he’s likely to be kicked inside once he arrives at the college level. Halliman becomes part of the run of offensive line recruiting wins for Miller and the Illini program that include the additions of four-star 2026 prospects Micah Champ Smith and Kai Pritchard, both of which were early enrollees this spring. Illinois continues to be a leader in the recruitment of 3-star offensive lineman Soren Fifer of Morton (Ill.) High School despite the 6-foot-7, 295-pound offensive tackle is getting attention from Oregon, Indiana and Iowa.