Illinois Year in Review | Top incoming recruits – The News-Gazette

The next wave of potential Illinois stars has already started arriving on campus. Beat writer Scott Richey spotlights the top 10 incoming high school recruits who could have the biggest impact in 2026-27:

1. Quentin Coleman | Men’s basketball

Wake Forest’s loss was most definitely Illinois’ gain. Coleman reopened his recruitment this spring after a stellar senior season at Principia (Mo.) and quickly landed in Champaign with coach Brad Underwood’s program. Then the 6-4 guard, who averaged 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.7 steals for the repeat state champion Panthers, earned his fifth star and wound up the No. 13 overall recruit in the Class of 2026, per 247Sports.

2. Charalampos Alivizatos | Men’s track and field

Alivizatos won his second straight high jump title at the Greek U20 championships earlier this month after also claiming the U18 national titles in the event in 2024 and 2025. He also set a new personal best this year, clearing 7 feet, 4 1/2 inches at the Greek National indoor championships. It currently stands as the No. 3 mark at the U20 level in the world this year and would have set the Illinois indoor high jump record by 1 1/2 inches.

3. Kim Beard | Women’s track and field

Beard dabbles in shot put and discus and won state titles in both during her senior season at King’s High School in the northern Seattle suburbs to go with a runner-up finish in the javelin. But it’s the hammer throw where Beard is elite. She repeated as the hammer champion at this year’s Nike Outdoor Nationals in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and finished third with a personal best throw of 201 feet, 7 inches at the USATF U20 Championships.

4. Wyatt Medlin | Wrestling

Medlin went undefeated during his senior season at Washington and won his third consecutive IHSA state title. This year’s Class 2A championship came at 165 pounds after he won at 138 pounds as both a sophomore and junior. Medlin, the son of Illinois skill development coordinator Bryan Medlin, will likely wrestle at 157 pounds for the Illini. That’s the weight class where he’s currently the No. 1 senior and No. 3 overall wrestler, per FloWrestling.

5. Lucas Morillo | Men’s basketball

Morillo was the prize of what turned into a top 10 recruiting class for the Illini before Quentin Coleman’s flip from the Demon Deacons. Even adding Coleman, however, doesn’t make him some kind of consolation prize. Morillo, who has FIBA experience representing the Dominican Republic, won a prep national championship with the Newman School (Mass.) as a senior. The 6-foot-7 guard put up 17.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.

6. Jon Gamble | Men’s tennis

Illinois finished just outside the top 25 in the final Class of 2026 team recruiting rankings from Tennis Recruiting Network, but that’s more a function of class size. Gamble is one of just two incoming freshmen for Brad Dancer’s Illini, but the Las Vegas native is ranked as the No. 6 overall player in the class. The left-handed Gamble had a career-high ITF junior ranking of 120 after winning three juniors singles and nine juniors doubles titles.

7. Nick Hankins | Football

Missouri was Illinois’ stiffest competition to land Hankins, but the Belleville West standout had plenty of Power Four interest. The Illini fended off the lot of the them, with Hankins winding up the prize of Bret Bielema’s massive 2026 recruiting class. The four-star cornerback was rarely tested during his senior season with the Maroons, but that will change this fall as he projects to compete for playing time in the Illinois secondary.

8. Le Khanh | Hung Men’s golf

Mike Small went global more than a decade ago when he pulled the best Belgium had to offer. Hung will be Illinois’ first golfer from Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh City native, who attended Montverde Academy (Fla.), is currently ranked as the No. 169 amateur in the world. Hung had top-five finishes at the Vietnam Amateur Open and Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and a top 10 at the Australian Master of the Amateurs in 2025.

9. Kamryn Tatum | Women’s track and field

Illinois is increasing its investment in sprinters, and adding Tatum is a move in that direction. The West Bloomfield (Mich.) standout won nine state championships combined between indoors and outdoors from her sophomore through senior years. Tatum is at her best at 200 meters, with two outdoor state titles and two indoor state titles in the event. She was also the 200 runner-up at the 2026 New Balance Indoor Nationals.

10. Nasir Rankin | Football

It’s not a question of if Rankin will be an early contributor for Illinois. It’s a question of where. The four-star recruit out of Morgan Park played both sides of the ball for the Mustangs and could do the same in Champaign. (That doesn’t even take into account his prowess on the basketball court). Rankin likely winds up at wide receiver where he totaled 73 catches for 1,512 yards and 19 touchdowns during his final two high school seasons.