Highest-rated Class of 2026 football recruits from Illinois
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May 30, 2025
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Highest-rated Class of 2026 football recruits from Illinois
The recruiting race for the Class of 2026 is already heating up — not just on the field, but in the increasingly complex ecosystem of modern college football, where NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals are reshaping how programs and players navigate early recruitment. For elite underclassmen, talent alone is no longer the only factor drawing attention; marketability, social media presence, and brand potential are now playing pivotal roles in how offers are extended and decisions are made. The top recruits in the 2026 cycle are not only physically advanced and highly skilled — they're entering high school with endorsement potential and media savviness.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest rated Class of 2026 football recruits from Illinois using data from 247Sports. Here's the players from Illinois set to dominate Saturdays (and potentially Sundays) for years to come.
- National rank: #878 (3 stars) - Position rank: #91 - College: Iowa State - Offers: Iowa State, Illinois, Cincinnati, Illinois State, Kansas - High school: Lane Technical (Chicago, IL)
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#19. Davon Grant (WR)
- National rank: #792 (3 stars) - Position rank: #122 - College: Illinois - Offers: Illinois, Akron, Iowa, Marshall, Minnesota - High school: De Kalb (Dekalb, IL)
3 / 20
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#18. Owen Lansu (QB)
- National rank: #763 (3 stars) - Position rank: #44 - College: Minnesota - Offers: Minnesota, Akron, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Miami (OH) - High school: Downers Grove North (Downers Grove, IL)
4 / 20
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#17. Tony Balanganayi (IOL)
- National rank: #760 (3 stars) - Position rank: #66 - College: Illinois - Offers: Illinois, Iowa State, Akron, Auburn, Kansas - High school: Palatine (Palatine, IL)
5 / 20
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#16. Joey Quinn (Edge)
- National rank: #703 (3 stars) - Position rank: #66 - College: Vanderbilt - Offers: Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State - High school: Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL)
- National rank: #656 (3 stars) - Position rank: #100 - College: not committed - Offers: West Virginia, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana - High school: St. Francis (Wheaton, IL)
7 / 20
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#13 (tie). Carmelow Reed (DL)
- National rank: #531 (3 stars) - Position rank: #63 - College: Wisconsin - Offers: Wisconsin, Ball State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Cincinnati - High school: Rich Township (Olympia Fields, IL)
8 / 20
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#13 (tie). Casey Thomann (OT)
- National rank: #531 (3 stars) - Position rank: #43 - College: Illinois - Offers: Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Iowa, Iowa State, Kent State - High school: Richland County (Olney, IL)
9 / 20
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#12. Gavin Mueller (TE)
- National rank: #454 (3 stars) - Position rank: #21 - College: Colorado - Offers: Colorado, LSU, Wisconsin, Akron, Cincinnati - High school: South Elgin (Wheaton, IL)
10 / 20
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#11. Messiah Tilson (S)
- National rank: #431 (3 stars) - Position rank: #39 - College: not committed - Offers: Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Iowa - High school: Guilford (Rockford, IL)
- National rank: #351 (4 stars) - Position rank: #27 - College: not committed - Offers: Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Auburn, Boston College - High school: Belleville West (Belleville, IL)
12 / 20
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#9. Gene Riordan (IOL)
- National rank: #283 (4 stars) - Position rank: #20 - College: Iowa - Offers: Iowa, Auburn, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Illinois - High school: Hinsdale Central (Hinsdale, IL)
13 / 20
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#8. Gabriel Hill (DL)
- National rank: #269 (4 stars) - Position rank: #32 - College: Indiana - Offers: Indiana, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Illinois, Iowa - High school: Naperville North (Naperville, IL)
14 / 20
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#7. Nasir Rankin (ATH)
- National rank: #191 (4 stars) - Position rank: #11 - College: Illinois - Offers: Illinois, Ball State, Boston College, Central Michigan, Duke - High school: Morgan Park (Chicago, IL)
15 / 20
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#6. Braeden Jones (DL)
- National rank: #188 (4 stars) - Position rank: #25 - College: USC - Offers: USC, Akron, Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati - High school: Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL)
- National rank: #167 (4 stars) - Position rank: #21 - College: not committed - Offers: Purdue, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, Wisconsin - High school: Simeon (Chicago, IL)
17 / 20
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#4. Claude Mpouma (OT)
- National rank: #166 (4 stars) - Position rank: #14 - College: not committed - Offers: Nebraska, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, Boston College - High school: Mount Carmel (Chicago, IL)
18 / 20
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#3. JC Anderson (TE)
- National rank: #148 (4 stars) - Position rank: #8 - College: not committed - Offers: North Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss, Illinois, Arkansas - High school: Mt. Zion (Mt. Zion, IL)
19 / 20
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#2. Jonas Williams (QB)
- National rank: #90 (4 stars) - Position rank: #8 - College: USC - Offers: USC, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana - High school: Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort, IL)
20 / 20
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#1. Mack Sutter (TE)
- National rank: #81 (4 stars) - Position rank: #6 - College: not committed - Offers: Alabama, Penn State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Illinois - High school: Dunlap (Dunlap, IL)
