The Illinois Fighting Illini basketball program is gearing up for the 2026‑27 season with a core group of players set to return, giving the team a solid foundation after a promising recent campaign.
Among the returnees, guard Brad Underwood’s squad will benefit from the experience of several key contributors who helped stabilize the lineup and push the team into the upper tier of the Big Ten.
A Recruiting Boost for the Illini
The spotlight, however, is increasingly focused on Jaxson Davis, a 6‑foot‑3 point guard from Illinois who ranks No. 17 among point guards in the 2027 class according to ESPN.
Davis’s recruitment has generated a buzz because he is currently the frontrunner to wear orange and blue, with On3’s predictive model assigning Illinois a 44.1 percent chance of securing his commitment, while Purdue holds a 20 percent probability.
The Illini have extended offers to a handful of other elite point guards, including Nasir Anderson, Reese Alston, Cayden Daughtry and Navorro Bowman, underscoring the program’s aggressive approach to rebuilding its backcourt.
Davis’s reputation as one of the top on‑ball playmakers in his class, highlighted by 247Sports, adds to the allure, especially as the team looks to fill the void left by departing NBA‑bound talents Kylan Boswell and Keaton Wagler.
The commitment of five‑star forward Quentin Coleman, who flipped his decision from Wake Forest to Illinois, further bolsters the recruiting class, while the program also bids farewell to veterans such as Andrej Stojakovic, who is headed to the NBA Draft.
Coach Brad Underwood, who has been scouting Davis for some time, emphasized the importance of adding a dynamic floor general, noting that the recruit could become the future point guard of the program and help sustain momentum after a strong previous season.
With the blend of returning veterans, new arrivals, and a recruiting class that includes both local talent and out‑of‑state prospects, Illinois aims to translate its offseason activity into on‑court success when the new campaign begins.