Illinois Football Lands Commitment From Three-Star LB Kaedyn Cobbs

Cobbs, the ninth pledge to Illinois' 2026 recruiting class, marks consecutive days of future football building

Oct 19, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema before a game with the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

One day and a few hours after the Illinois football program received a commitment from linebacker Cam Thomas, the Illini got one from three-star linebacker Kaedyn Cobbs.

In a video posted to his X social media account Friday afternoon, Cobbs was featured thanking his family and coaches, starring in past football highlights and finally unveiling his pledge.

GRATEFUL @DentonGuyer_FB

🙏🏽@ReedHeim @kylekeese @mike_gallegos16 @PTRockTraining @FlightSkillz @adamgorney @SportsDayHS @JWerner247 @GPowersScout @dctf @MikeRoach247 @NextLevelD1 @UANextFootball@TFloss32 @ChadSimmons_ @MaxPreps @jason_howell @Marchen44 @PrepRedzoneTX… pic.twitter.com/hLJGeDahy7

— Kaedyn Cobbs (@Kaedyn43) February 7, 2025

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker from Denton, Texas (Guyer High School) chose Illinois over Nebraska, Texas Tech, Baylor, SMU and Oklahoma State to become the program's ninth 2026 commitment.

Similar to Thomas, Cobbs is coming off a breakout junior season, which he dubbed "Evolution of a Monster." He finished 2024 with 74 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and glimpses of two-way production. As a running back, Cobbs had 321 yards and seven touchdowns on 42 carries during a four-game postseason run, with Guyer finishing 10-4 and ranked No. 19 in the state of Texas.

With the additions of Thomas and Cobbs, Illinois' class continues to creep toward elite-level status, currently ranking No. 8 overall, according to 247 Sports.

For context, Bielema's first full class after becoming head coach at Illinois ranked No. 73, which included center Josh Kruetz, wide receiver Pat Bryant and running back Josh McCray, to name a few. The following season saw an improvement, to No. 46, and so on.

It's clear based on these commitments that Bielema's sales pitch is working and that Illinois is gradually building the foundation for a future that couldn't have been imagined in Champaign as recently as just a few years ago.

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