Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert

March 25, 2024

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois with hoops the focus of the fan base I’ll look at the Illini in the 2025 Big Ten rankings.

With their latest commitments, where does Illinois stand with the rest of the Big Ten for 2025 recruiting rankings? Here we go.

1. Ohio State — No surprise here and this won’t change anytime soon. They are a recruiting juggernaut.
2. Penn State — James Franklin is off to a great start, and it’s much needed with more competition than ever in the conference.
3. Oregon — Under Dan Lanning the Ducks are the one team I think could push the Buckeyes in recruiting every season.
4. Wisconsin — Luke Fickell has taken the Badgers to new heights early in his tenure.
5. Iowa — Iowa recruiting is usually boring, but Kirk Ferentz and his staff are off to a very strong start.
6. Michigan — It’s a small class with the transition to Sherrone Moore and I can see an overall dip in recruiting for a little bit.
7. Illinois — A solid place to be as this recruiting start has been exceptional for Bret Bielema and company.
8. Purdue — Not a shabby job by Ryan Walters who needs as much talent as he can get to offset his lack of experience.
9. Nebraska — Matt Rhule will rise on this list as the QB Dylan Raiola factor will help.
10. Northwestern — A solid job as they are going to be a slight problem for the Illini for in state kids.
11. Maryland — Mike Locksley can recruit but he’s limited with the Terps lacking brand power.
12. USC — Lincoln Riley is barely recruiting high school, but they can still land 4 and 5 stars.
13. UCLA — Chip Kelly didn’t like to recruit, and it will take a few years for the program to get back in high schools.
14. Washington — Jedd Fisch is a talent evaluator, but he won’t land the elite consistently.
15. Rutgers — Greg Schiano is a good coach, but recruiting is always a struggle.
16. Indiana — Cignetti is an ego maniac, but he’s done well in the portal. It’s yet to be seen if he can do it at the high school level.