High-level AAU circuits are underway, and Illinois commits are already making noise across the college basketball landscape. 2027 signees Quinton Kitt and Mason Martin both delivered 30-point performances while leading their teams to wins over the weekend.
Kitt plays for Meanstreets on the Nike EYBL circuit and currently ranks among the top 10 in points per game in the league. Martin, who plays for Breakaway Basketball on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, is averaging 20.6 points per game through four contests. Both Kitt and Martin are Illinois natives and provide a strong foundation for the Illini’s 2027 recruiting class.
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‘Really inviting’: Top 2027 prospect Quinton Kitt on Illinois visit
Brad Underwood continues to excel on the recruiting trail, and there are no signs of slowing down. Five-star composite recruit Quentin Coleman will join the program next season, further strengthening an already impressive pipeline of talent.
With so many high-level players recruited under Underwood, let’s look at the top five high school recruits of his tenure in the 247Sports era and how they performed at Illinois.
Will Riley reclassified into the 2024 class and was rated a five-star recruit by 247Sports. He is the only five-star recruit under Underwood to play a game for Illinois, and he proved to be an elite talent during his lone season in Champaign. The Canada native had one of the best freshman seasons in program history, averaging 12.6 points per game, winning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, and ultimately being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
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Morez Johnson Jr. committed to Illinois in 2021 but spent just one season in Champaign before transferring to Michigan. After a limited freshman role with the Illini, Johnson broke out at Michigan. He started all 40 games and helped lead the Wolverines to their first NCAA Tournament title since 1989. While his long-term upside remains high, his Illinois tenure fell short of expectations.
Ayo Dosunmu is one of the greatest players in Illinois basketball history and continues to find success in the NBA. A four-star recruit out of Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Dosunmu could arguably be considered the most impactful recruit in program history. He committed to Illinois in 2017 when the program was struggling and helped lead the Illini back to national prominence, including a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He earned First Team All-American honors and was named Big Ten Tournament MVP in that 2020-21 season.
Adam Miller was expected to be the next star at Illinois following Dosunmu’s departure, but his time in Champaign was brief. A four-star recruit, Miller started every game as a freshman before entering the transfer portal after just one season. He went on to play for four different programs over five years, and his college career never quite matched the early hype. Illinois fans are left wondering what could have been had he stayed.
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5. Skyy Clark
Skyy Clark’s Illinois career was also short-lived and underwhelming. A four-star recruit in the 2022 class (and former five-star prospect prior to a knee injury), Clark played just 13 games before stepping away from the team. He averaged seven points per game during his time in Champaign and later transferred to Louisville. While he eventually had a solid senior season at UCLA, his Illinois stint did not live up to expectations.
How would you rank these recruits now?
Ayo Dosunmu is the clear No. 1 in a redraft, with Will Riley coming in at No. 2. The remaining three all had short tenures before entering the transfer portal, but my revised order would be Adam Miller, Morez Johnson Jr., and Skyy Clark.
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Quentin Coleman is currently projected as the second highest-ranked recruit in Illinois basketball history, though he is not included in these rankings yet.
The Illini staff continues to find value on the recruiting trail, and notably, the top six recruits in program history have all come during the Underwood era. Expect that trend to continue for years to come.
