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Illinois Commit Nick Hankins Rises to Rivals' Top Player in State: What It Means

The Illini are not only identifying developing talent early, but they also are appealing to top recruits like never before
Jason Langendorf|
Aug 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema and player defensive back Miles Scott (10) before an NCAA game against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Aug 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema and player defensive back Miles Scott (10) before an NCAA game against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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High school football recruiting service Rivals recently updated its in-house prospect rankings, and the results translated to big news for No. 9 Illinois (3-0) and the future of the program.

Belleville West cornerback Nick Hankins Jr., an Illinois commit, has leapt to the top of Rivals' rankings for class of 2026 high school players in the state of Illinois. He now ranks ninth among his class' cornerbacks and 76th overall.

Hankins has been a two-way terror for the Mighty Maroons so far in 2025, though his primary position at Illinois is expected to be corner (and the Illini have no stated plans of working him into the mix on the other side of the ball). His new status as the. No. 1 high school player in the state is largely symbolic, but it may have real meaning for the Illini.

Nick Hankins Jr.: The first of many?

Hankins' rise is part of a larger trend of Illinois coach Bret Bielema and his staff identifying prospects with growth potential early in recruiting cycles (and later developing them further once they arrive in Champaign). The Illini have been playing above their talent under Bielema, but now the talent is starting to catch up – which could signal even more impressive on-field results in the future.

But Hankins also represents the first top Illinois high schooler who has signed with the Illini in recent memory. According to Rivals' year-by-year rankings, no other No. 1 in the state has signed with Illinois dating back to 2021 (when the site began tracking such things). Robert Rosenthal, the dean of modern Illini athletics media, floated in a tweet that Hankins might be the first such player since Martez Wilson joined Illinois out of Chicago Simeon in 2007.

Receiver Malik Elzy (also from Simeon) was the first top-three Illinois high school recruit to sign with the Illini since 2021, and Elzy's 2023 classmate Kaden Feagin (Arthur) helped break the ice as well. Looking ahead, class of 2027 athlete Myson Johnson-Cook (East St. Louis) and 2028 edge Darieon Prescott (Bolingbrook) and Jack McNamara (Brother Rice) are all giving Illinois strong consideration. Johnson-Cook ranks No. 3 in Illinois in Rivals' 2027 rankings, while Prescott and McNamara are No. 2 and 5, respectively, for 2028. Something is brewing in Champaign.

Can Champaign become a go-to destination?

Illinois has a colossal opportunity this season to turn a trend into a norm. Bielema and his staff connect with high school recruits, and the program offers an environment in which young players feel seen, cared for and part of something bigger than themselves. That's an intoxicating potion – especially at a time when some of the Illini's biggest recruiting rivals (Notre Dame, Iowa and Purdue) are faltering. But to make it stick, the wins have to follow.

A win over Indiana on Saturday improves Illinois to 4-0 and gives the team a solid chance to be undefeated by the time Ohio State rolls into town on Oct. 11. That matchup would have massive Big Ten title and College Football Playoff implications, but even in the (likely) event of a Buckeyes win, the Illini will have a chance to show the belong on the national stage alongside a powerhouse like OSU. Play the Buckeyes tough, avoid any major stumbles the rest of the way, and Illinois is staring down the runway of an historic season and the kind of aura that players from in state or beyond its borders won't be able to resist.

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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

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