Can Illinois' Andrej Stojakovic Become an All-American in 2026-27?

When Illinois initially signed Andrej Stojakovic in the 2025 offseason, there was one very lofty goal: a national title. And after the Illini made a run to the 2026 Final Four, they made it clear that wasn’t an objective outside of striking distance for Stojakovic and his teammates.

Rather unexpectedly, however, the run – and the entire season – was spearheaded not by Stojakovic but by freshman guard Keaton Wagler. With Wagler's unforeseen emergence, not to mention that of fellow freshman David Mirkovic, the ball was too often in other hands for Stojakovic to routinely register head-turning stat lines.

Toss in a few injuries he battled throughout the 2025-26 campaign and, by the end of the season, Stojakovic wasn’t even in a starting role (although the Hoops Dictionary would feature a picture of him if you were to look up the term “supersub”).

Still, no reserve is earning the most prestigious individual accolade bestowed upon a college player – All-American status. But, after he officially announced his return to Illinois on Wednesday, could Stojakovic achieve that status in 2026-27?

Andrej Stojakovic has the tools to be an All-American in 2026-27

First and foremost: Stojakovic must improve his three-point shooting (24.4 percent last season). Perimeter-based players who shoot below 30 percent from deep will not sniff an All-American squad.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Stojakovic shot 80-plus from the charity stripe over the past two seasons (on fairly high volume) and is a knockdown midrange shooter. Seemingly, he should be, at the very least, something of a threat from long range.

It's worth noting that he shot 32.7 percent and 31.8 percent from three at Stanford and Cal, respectively, connecting on at least 1.1 per game at each stop. Now, if Stojakovic can just match those numbers – or, at bare minimum, crack 30 percent – that should be enough to get the job done.

Although his counting numbers may have suffered as a result of the talented and ball-dominant players surrounding him this past year, Stojakovic reaped benefits as well. He was forced to embrace new responsibilities – namely, defending at a high level and rebounding.

Stojakovic’s per-40-minutes rebounding shot up to a career-best 6.9, while he posted the highest defensive box plus/minus of his career by a mile. Most importantly, he proved capable of being Illinois’ shutdown perimeter defender – a weight he will have to bear on his lonesome next season without Kylan Boswell.

As for his slashing ability, that is a given. No player in college basketball possesses Stojakovic’s combination of burst, physicality, footwork, patience and finishing touch.

So if it all comes together (i.e., if his perimeter jumper comes around), Stojakovic has All-American ability. But that begs the next question: Are there too many ball-dominant players on Illinois for any one player to stand head and shoulders over the rest?

Can Andrej Stojakovic truly stand out on a loaded Illinois roster?

Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and returning big man David Mirkovic are both candidates to be the highest-usage Illini. And let’s not forget that the show ran through Tomislav Ivisic at times during his first season back in 2024-25. Oh, and that doesn’t even account for five-star freshman Quentin Coleman, who, as the projected lead guard, will certainly have the rock in his hands quite a bit.

With just one basketball to go around, will Stojakovic even get enough shots to be in the All-American discussion? Purdue’s Braden Smith was the lowest point-per-game scorer on any All-American team this past year, at 14.0. But he averaged 9.0 assists. And we can go out on a very short limb and say Stojakovic won’t be doing that.

On the flip side, wasn’t the situation fairly similar this past year? Mirkovic, Stojakovic and Ivisic were all in the fold – not to mention Boswell – yet Wagler reeled in All-American honors. If the Illini wind up as successful as many expect, then someone should make a run at an All-American spot. Why not Stojakovic?

But although it's certainly within the realm of possibilities, there is no expectation for Stojakovic to earn All-American status next year. Enough factors stack up against him that, in fact, he probably won’t get there. But that doesn’t mean Stojakovic won’t be an invaluable piece for the Illini on their trek for that ever-elusive national title.

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