Official visit season is nearly here for college basketball, and Illinois is set to have a busy one. Head coach Brad Underwood will have his hands full with multiple official visitors coming to Champaign, but the latest recruit to schedule one feels more like a formality than anything else.
So far, Illinois has two commits in the Class of 2027, both four-star recruits who committed to the Illini during last season. Four-star power forward Quinton Kitt was the first to choose the Illini, and now he will be in Champaign in late October before the 2026-2027 season tips off.
Since Kitt is already committed, the pressure is off the program, but it is still crucial that Underwood and Co. make a good impression. While it feels unlikely, Kitt could choose to flip his commitment, but right now Illinois is his only official visit set, hinting that he is fairly locked in with the Illini.
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Kitt has only received eight offers in his recruitment, half from the Big Ten and half from non-power conference schools. The Kansas City, Kansas, native chose the Illini back in November, and the last time Illinois had a recruit from Kansas, he turned out pretty well.
Could Quinton Kitt walk the same path Keaton Wagler once did coming out of high school?
When Keaton Wagler was being recruited out of high school, he received only 16 offers, with only two coming from power conference schools. As a three-star recruit, there wasn’t much expected of him, but Underwood clearly saw something special, and it paid off big time.
Wagler went on to be the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, helped lead Illinois to its first Final Four since 2005, and was selected as the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Now, just because Wagler and Kitt are from the same area in Kansas doesn’t mean Kitt is automatically going to be a star for Illinois, but with a similar build and style of play, it isn’t totally out of the question either.
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Like Wagler, Kitt is able to do just about anything on the court, from shooting, ball handling, driving to the basket, and defense. If anything, Kitt is probably a better defender than Wagler was, especially in the paint when it comes to rebounds.
With Illinois at this point being a factory for one-and-done players as of late, Kitt could be the Illini’s next great player when 2026 freshman Quentin Coleman potentially goes to the NBA after this season.
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This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as 4-star Illinois commit Quinton Kitt’s official visit feels more like a formality at this point.
