The Illinois staff flew out to Los Angeles earlier this week to meet with top transfer target John Blackwell. Blackwell has been working out in Los Angeles all week and took an official visit to UCLA on Tuesday. The Illini are doing everything they can to bring Blackwell to Champaign next season.
Blackwell’s father Glynn played at Illinois from 1984-88 and was in attendance at Lucas Oil Stadium for the Final Four matchup against UConn. Illinois has been recruiting Blackwell since he entered the transfer
portal and has as strong of a pitch as anyone. Brad Underwood has developed four NBA guards since 2021, and Blackwell could be next.
The former Wisconsin guard is expected to go through the NBA Draft process but would like to decide by May 4. He has cut his list to Illinois, Duke, Alabama, Arizona, Louisville, and UCLA. It has been reported that Duke and Illinois are the top two contenders, but UCLA securing a visit could shake things up.
Blackwell is one of the top players in the transfer portal and would immediately make Illinois a favorite to win the 2026 national championship. The Illini already made an offseason splash with the commitment of Stefan Vaaks from Providence, and adding Blackwell would give them one of the best backcourts in the country.
According to 247Sports, Blackwell is the No. 3 ranked transfer nationally, behind only Flory Bidunga and Milan Momcilovic. On3 ranks him No. 5 and gives Illinois a 53.3% chance to land him.
Blackwell averaged 19.1 points per game last season at Wisconsin and would likely become Illinois’ primary scorer alongside Andrej Stojakovic and David Mirkovic. The 6-foot-4 guard can shoot the lights out and plays bigger than his size suggests. According to CBB Analytics, he ranked in the 93rd percentile in defensive rebounds per game (3.9), the 89th percentile in offensive rebounds (1.2), and the 95th percentile in second-chance points (2.2).
He would be a perfect fit for this Illinois team. With a loaded frontcourt expected to return, Blackwell could step into a major role as the starting point guard. He would have the opportunity to play with the ball in his hands more than he did at Wisconsin and thrive in Underwood’s offensive system. The fit at Illinois appears more natural compared to competing for touches at Duke alongside guards like Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster, Dame Sarr, and potentially Isaiah Evans.
Illinois has clearly made Blackwell a priority, as shown by the staff traveling to California to meet with him. The goal is to pair him with talented young guards like Vaaks and Quentin Coleman, along with likely returning veterans Jake Davis, Zvonomir Ivisic, Tomislav Ivisic, Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, and Ty Rodgers.
Will Illinois land John Blackwell?
