Class of 2024 point guard ZZ Clark from Windemere Prep in Florida announced his commitment to Illinois on Monday. He is the second member of the Illini's 2024 recruiting class joining Chicago St. Rita forward Morez Johnson.
"I've been fortunate enough to meet a lot of coaches through this process and watch a lot of college basketball," Clark said on Instagram. "But the feeling I have for this program makes this the right time to commit. Why wait when you know in your heart this is where you want to be."
The Illini are now the only program in the country with two commitments in their 2024 recruiting class. Michigan and Houston are the only other programs with one commit.
ZZ is the younger brother of Skyy Clark, a high four-star guard in the 2022 recruiting class that signed with Illinois on Wednesday.
"This is something I wanted to for a while, but I wanted Skyy to be able to get commitment and signing out of the way first," Clark said.
Illinois assistant Tim Anderson led the recruitment for both of the Clarks. Anderson was also the Illini's lead recruiter for 2022 Rivals150 prospect Ty Rodgers. Since being hired at Illinois in the summer of 2021, Anderson has been the lead recruiter for four of Illini's six commits.
"I've always been a fan of Illinois from watching Ayo (Dosunmu) play," Clark said. "Once Tim made the transition there, it was pretty much a no-brainer. Getting to know Coach Underwood and the rest of the staff made it feel more like home."
ZZ's decision to commit to Illinois comes while taking an unofficial visit to Illinois on Monday. Skyy was taking an official visit at the same time.
While not yet ranked by Rivals, ZZ projects as a likely Rivals150 talent and a potential four-star recruit. He commits to Illinois over scholarship offers from Arizona State, Boise State, DePaul, Kansas, Rutgers, Tennessee State and Vanderbilt.
Illinois currently doesn't have any commits in their 2023 recruiting class, but the Illini's 2022 class ranks 10th nationally and includes four Rivals150 prospects. Illinois' 2023 recruiting class likely won't be a large haul in terms of prospects as the main focus in landing a big.
Illinois' other 2024 targets include four-star James Brown and Nojus Indrusaitis, both in-state prospects.
