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Greetings from "Can't Wait For Saturday," your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He'll give you his views each day on the game he loves
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Once again, Illinois is finding out the best way to land top football recruits: win a bunch of games.
Fresh off the school's first 10-victory season in 23 years, Bret Bielema's team is putting together an impressive 2026 recruiting class.
According to Rivals.com, the Illinois class is currently ranked No. 7 nationally. No. 1 Southern California and No. 3 Ohio State are only two Big Ten schools listed ahead of Illinois.
Those schools have some geographic and tradition advantages over Illinois that Bielema's team is trying to cut into. The Trojans are in sunny, glitzy Los Angeles, close to the stars. And Ohio State is arguably one of the top all-time programs, along with Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame and others.
Back to the point, Illinois just added a commitment from three-star offensive lineman Tony Balanganayi of Palatine, who picked the school over offers from Auburn, Kansas State, Michigan, Miami, Mississippi, Oklahoma and others.
Whatever Bielema is selling, talented players from Illinois and beyond are buying.
Words of caution: it is a long way to the finish line and 18-year-olds sometimes change their minds. But Illinois is in contention and that's what matters most.
