Is Illinois' Freshman Class Poised to Be the Best of the Brad Underwood Era?

The Illini have had some highly rated classes, but their 2026 group may have the best mixture of depth and talent of any Brad Underwood class

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even in the midst of Illinois’ NCAA Tournament run last March, the 2026 recruiting class appeared to be pretty well sorted. At the time, Lucas Morillo, Ethan Brown and Landon Davis headlined a strong group.

At the time, Illini coach Brad Underwood had said that three was a solid number. So from the outside looking in, it seemed as though the Illini had put a bow on the class and had pointed their recruiting efforts toward 2027 and beyond.

Then, out of the blue, Quentin Coleman announced he was Champaign-bound. But who could pass up a five-star prospect? Then Zavier Zens signed. But a college-ready, high-IQ player such as Zens was just too clean of a fit for Illinois not to bring him aboard. Made sense.

🟠 Newcomer First Look 🔵
Quentin Coleman
No. 11
O'Fallon, Ill. pic.twitter.com/iBGVBxccPi

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) July 31, 2026

Then the waters calmed – but not for long. In early June, the Illini were still recruiting, and wound up bringing on the No. 1 in-state prospect in Lincoln Williams as a late addition. 

🟠 Newcomer First Look 🔵
Lincoln Williams
No. 1
Kankakee, Ill. pic.twitter.com/H7GUE2mo3E

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) August 8, 2026

Now, with a full roster (transfer Quentin McCoy recently joined the fold), there will be no more immediate movement for the Illini. But a freshman class that was once expected to be relatively small is now the largest Illinois has seen in Underwood’s tenure since 2018. So while it's quantity stands out, there's reason to believe that it may also contain the best mixture of depth and firepower of any class in the Underwood era.

Could Illinois' 2026 freshman class be Brad Underwood's best?

Wisconsin Lutheran's Zavier Zens (23) breaks around Appleton North's Nathan Ramus (4) during their WIAA Division 1 state semifinal basketball game on Friday, March 20, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

First, let’s whittle down the competition. A few classes don’t even have a leg to stand on, while others boast obvious stardom but little else to offer (namely Kofi Cockburn’s 2019 class).

Then there are the ultra-talented groups that made their marks elsewhere. (No member of the 2022 class, which consisted of Ty Rodgers, Skyy Clark, Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris, finished their career at Illinois. The 2021 class was similar.)

That leaves a few challengers on the board. The 2018 class was headlined by Ayo Dosunmu, Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Alan Griffin (Andres Feliz was a JUCO find). Close, but no cigar.

The 2020 crew was stocked with gifted hoopers – namely Adam Miller, Andre Curbelo and Coleman Hawkins – but only one (Hawkins) truly starred and endured for the Illini.

That leaves us with the two most recent previous recruiting classes. The 2024 collective of Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley, Morez Johnson Jr. and Tomislav Ivisic are going to be very hard to beat – even taking into account Johnson’s move to Michigan.

With its second-to-none firepower – hello, Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic – the 2025 class gives that group a run for its money but can't match the depth.

So let’s circle back to the young men of the hour: 2026. Star power? You've got Quentin Coleman. (And if history is any indication, it’s more likely than not that another member of the class will join Coleman in that category, even if it isn’t in Year 1.)

July 19, 2025; North Augusta, South Carolina, USA; Brad Beal Elite Quentin Coleman (1) gestures to a teammate as Team Durant Evans Barning Jr. (7) defends during the Brad Beal Elite and Team Durant game at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activity Center. Brad Beal Elite won 91-59. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale - Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Depth? That's a hard yes. Underwood has said time and again this offseason that he is thoroughly pleased with his freshman class across the board. The most telltale sign? All six of them appear to be in a battle for rotation minutes on a club that returns five key members of a Final Four team.

“I say this in a positive way,” Underwood told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein in late August. “We haven’t lost any of them yet. Usually in the summer, you feel like, well, there’s a couple guys that maybe can’t help you right away. I don’t feel that.”

It’s not possible for every player in the class to be a significant contributor in 2026-27, but the fact that each of them is seemingly at least in the discussion is ridiculously impressive – and a testament, once again, to Underwood’s eye for talent.