Purdue, Iowa Among Top 3 for Skilled 2026 Cornerback, Commitment Date Revealed

Vincent Smith, a three-star cornerback out of Illinois, has narrowed his list of schools down to three, including Purdue and Iowa. He also revealed his commitment date.

The line of scrimmage between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Purdue Boilermakers | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

One of the top recruits from Illinois in the 2026 class has narrowed his list of landing spots down to three schools, two of which are in the Big Ten. Vincent Smith, a three-star cornerback out of Orland Park, unveiled his finalists, which included Purdue, Iowa, and West Virginia.

Smith, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound cornerback, made his announcement with a social media post this week. He also revealed his decision date, scheduled for July 10.

Smith initially committed to Northern Illinois back in March, but took visits to West Virginia, Purdue, Iowa, Iowa State and USC in June. He decided to re-evaluate his decision and decommitted from NIU on Monday.

Where’s Home?@Phouly31 @CoachMurphCSHS @SandburgEagles @PrepRedzoneIL @AllenTrieu @EDGYTIM @DeepDishFB @LemmingReport @Bryan_Ault @On3Recruits @247recruiting @Rivals pic.twitter.com/t6b8oYY7Dq

— Vincent Smith (@vincentxii__) June 26, 2025

247Sports ranks Smith as the No. 500 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class, the No. 38 cornerback and the No. 13 prospect out of Illinois. He's certainly risen up recruiting boards over the past year, especially as more Power Four squads take notice.

Smith is an outstanding athlete, who also participates in track. He has recorded an 11.36-second time in the 100 and has posted a long jump of over 18 feet.

Both Purdue and Iowa currently rank in the bottom half of the Big Ten in the 2026 recruiting rankings. The Boilermakers sit 37th nationally and 13th in the conference. Iowa has the 47th-ranked class in the country and is No. 16 in the league.

You can view Smith's highlight video on Hudl.

Related stories on Purdue football

CENTER GROVE DL COMMITS TO PURDUE: Kobe Cherry, a three-star defensive lineman from Center Grove, committed to play college football at Purdue over offers from Indiana and Wisconsin. CLICK HERE

DL CONSIDERING PURDUE, INDIANA: Katrell Webb, a three-star defensive end in the 2026 class, has narrowed down his list of possible destinations to Purdue, Indiana, and Florida State. CLICK HERE

PURDUE LANDS VERSATILE ATH OUT OF GEORGIA: Purdue's big recruiting weekend was capped off by a pledge from 6-foot-6 athlete Dream Rashad, who was one of five players in the 2026 class to commit. CLICK HERE