Illinois basketball class of 2026 rises in 247sports final rankings

Illinois basketball has high hopes for its class of 2026. After making a Final Four, the Illini were keen on retaining their core pieces and were direct in their approach to the transfer portal. Unlike previous years, the Illini were not heavily involved with many transfer portal prospects. Outside of Stefan Vaaks and John Blackwell, Illinois did not try to recruit in the portal. Instead, they focused their eyes on the Class of 2026.

The Illini are building for the future, as a majority of their core pieces this year will be out of eligibility. Therefore, they targeted prep prospects who all seem to be bought in to development and the University of Illinois. On Thursday afternoon, 247sports released its final rankings for the class, and all of the Illini’s signees went up.

Quentin Coleman

Quentin Coleman is now a five-star prospect and the 13th overall prospect in the class of 2026. Coleman has absolutely skyrocketed up the rankings and in national notoriety since this time last year and has now established himself as an elite prospect. The Principia High School guard has grown into his 6-foot-4-inch frame and really improved in all aspects of his game. During his high school season, he averaged 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.7 steals, which led the team to a State Title. He then participated in the Iverson Classic recently and earned MVP honors with a 31-point, 12-rebound performance.

Lucas Morillo

Lucas Morillo rose eight spots to number 52 overall. Morillo is going to be an interesting piece for the Illini. He fits everything that Brad Underwood covets in a prospect. He has great positional size at 6 foot 7, elite basketball IQ and feel, and can play multiple positions. If Morillo can consistently knock down his jumper, look for him to be one of the best players on the Illini basketball team.

Morillo stood out at the 2026 Nike hoops summit with his versatility and ability to do it all. Illinois basketball is certainly getting an intriguing talent in Lucas Morillo.

Zavier Zens

Zavier Zens received the biggest upgrade in the Final Class of 2026 rankings. Zens jumped all the way into the top 125 and earned a fourth star next to his name. Zavier was a nice win for the Illinois basketball staff, who were able to land him over Utah State and Wisconsin. Zens is a winning player who has won three straight state championships at Wisconsin Lutheran. He has a smooth, reliable shooting stroke and has really grown all aspects of his game, and has shown some sneaky athleticism.

With forward Ben Humrichous out of eligibility, Zens could very well fit into the role of 3-and-D off the bench.

Ethan Brown

Ethan Brown is currently 169th overall in the 247sports rankings. Brown has a lot of similar attributes to Illini star Keaton Wagler. Brown strictly played with his high school basketball team and did not join any major shoe circuits. He is an outstanding shooter and ball-handler with sneaky athleticism. Ethan will have to do some adjusting to the college level, as he will not have the ball in his hands as much as he did in high school. However, the skills are there to be a major contributor at the Big Ten Level.

Landon Davis

Landon Davis landed at number 247th overall in the final 247Sports rankings. Davis has a smooth stroke, plus-athleticism, and a strong basketball feel. His main priority when coming to college will be gaining strength and confidence. If he can put it all together, Davis will play an intriguing role for Illinois basketball once the Ivisic twins and David Mirkovic move on.

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