CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Dec. 3 marked a special day in the college football world, as the next generation of football stars signed their letters of intent on National Signing Day.
In high school gyms and special gatherings across the country, players were declaring which college program they’d be bringing their talents to, much to the delight of fanbases and coaching staffs everywhere.
Perhaps one of the happiest places in the U.S. was in Champaign, as fans and coaches alike watched on as their Fighting
Illini pieced together the top-rated class in program history, the No. 21 class in the country.
Comprised of 30 players with unique stories and backgrounds, head coach Bret Bielema exuded excitement about Illinois’s 2026 signing class.
“We got 30 guys in the boat, all guys that we feel really, really good about, offense, defense, special teams,” Bielema said.
To break that number down, the Illini ended up signing 14 offensive players, 15 defensive players and one punter.
Of the 30 guys set to don the Orange and Blue for the first time, 26 of them are coming straight out of high school, while four of them are coming via the junior college route.
All four of those JUCO guys were ranked in the top four at their position, with Maika Matelau as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman and Jakwon Morris as the No. 1 defensive back leading the way.
But one of the more eye-catching things about this class is how well Bielema and his staff did at recruiting within the state of Illinois, something that hasn’t been the case in recent memory.
“We couldn’t probably get into the top-30 guys my first year here,” Bielema said. “And now, I think we recruited everyone that we wanted, and some of those guys just happened to be the best players in the state.”
The Illini signed eight players from the Land of Lincoln, with two of them being top-six recruits in defensive back Nick Hankins and wide receiver Nas Rankin.
All eight of them are within Illinois’ top-40.
One reason that Illinois has started to turn the tide when it comes to keeping players in the state is that instead of pitching players on hypothetical success, they’re proving it out on the field.
“Four or five years ago, when we started attacking in-state, we had to talk about how we could build something, how we could win, hopefully,” Bielema said. “Now, they have tangible evidence of that.”
In Bielema’s first five seasons at the helm, the Illini have won 36 games, with a bowl game left to play.
That number’s good enough for the program record for most wins in the first five seasons as head coach.
Now, recruits are recognizing that Illinois is transforming into a totally different program than what they’ve been accustomed to for most of their lives, and it seemingly is something they want to be a part of.
Next season will feature a lot of new faces, as many Illini starters on both sides of the ball will not be returning to the team, either due to running out of eligibility, hitting the transfer portal or making the jump up to the NFL.
One of the position groups that’s getting hit the hardest is the offensive line, as four out of five starters were seniors this year.
The solution to that problem might just be lying within the signing class of 2026.
“If you look at the numbers, you’re going to see there was a huge focal point of offensive linemen, and some of these guys we feel could come in and play for us immediately,” Bielema said.
One of those linemen that Bielema referenced as being someone who could see the field as a true freshman is Micah “Champ” Smith, a four-star recruit out of Florida.
Smith was originally committed to play at UCLA, but became a late flip candidate for the Illini, and he ultimately made his decision public right in the middle of Bielema’s press conference.
That wasn’t the first player who made the decision to switch up their commitment in favor of the Illini on National Signing Day.
Earlier in the morning, Illinois flipped three-star running back Javari Barnett away from the Alabama Crimson Tide, a move that drew attention from across the college football landscape.
It was an unprecedented, record-breaking class for an Illinois program that hasn’t reached these heights and level of national relevancy in quite some time.
“We got it from all over the world. I’m super excited about this class,” Bielema said.
