Four-Star Defensive Lineman Includes Illinois Football Among Top Finalists

McHale Blade, from Chicago Simeon, included Illinois in his list of top seven college choices on Friday

Sep 28, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema stands on the field during a warmup prior to a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema landed arguably his most significant recruit to date in two-sport athlete Nasir Rankin on Wednesday, but McHale Blade wouldn't be too far behind on the short list.

Blade, an elite class of 2026 recruit, listed his top seven choices on Friday, as reported by 247 Sports – and Illinois made the cut.

Four-star Chicago Simeon DL McHale Blade names a top seven.

He has officials set with five with the final two in the works.

His comments on each program here:https://t.co/evEB2y6bKb pic.twitter.com/KbJuHfsw7I

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) May 23, 2025

Blade, a four-star defensive lineman from Chicago Simeon also included Wisconsin, Purdue, Stanford, USC, Michigan and Notre Dame among his top seven. The fifth-ranked player in the state of Illinois and No. 21 defensive lineman in the country (per 247 Sports), Blade began his high school career at Hillcrest (Country Club Hills, Illinois) before transferring to Simeon.

If Bielema and his staff have any shot of landing the 6-foot-4, 245-pound senior, they need to schedule an on-campus visit with Blade ASAP. McHale visited Purdue on Friday and is scheduled to visit Wisconsin next and USC, Michigan and Notre Dame in June.

🚨NEWS🚨 4-star EDGE McHale Blade has locked in 5️⃣ official visits, @ByKyleKelly reports‼️

Blade will announce his commitment on July 4.

Read: https://t.co/1VJbqnex9r pic.twitter.com/vyBo9bPsY4

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) May 23, 2025

The good news for the Illini is that they're putting together far and away their best recruiting class in the Bielema era, and the fact that a bunch of top prospects from the state have already committed to Illinois could be a deciding factor in convincing Blade to stay home.

Blade reportedly will make schedule visits with all seven finalists and make a decision on July 4.

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