Four-star sophomore guard Jonathan Sanderson talks recent Illinois visit
2026 guard Jonathan Sanderson from Ann Arbor (Mich.) Saline holds multiple early high major offers, including an offer from Illinois.
Sanderson was recently in Champaign for an unofficial visit. He recaps that trip and talks recruiting in this update from Orange and Blue News.
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Illinois offered Sanderson back in June, with assistant coach Tim Anderson heading up the recruitment. He also holds offers from Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Purdue, and others.
Illinois had Sanderson on campus earlier this month when the Illini hosted Nebraska for a Friday night matchup at Memorial Stadium.
"I got there early Friday morning and stayed until the football game," Sanderson said. "I was able to watch practice, guys lift, went on a tour and then went to the football game for a little bit."
A 6-foot-2 guard, Sanderson is coming off a huge freshman season in which he averaged 19.3 points, six rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 46 percent from three-point
The visit was the first time on the Illinois campus for Sanderson. He got the full tour of the basketball facilities, including catching an Illinois practice at the Ubben Basketball Complex.
"I really liked the facilities; the weight room, recovery stuff and practice facility," Sanderson said. "The players and coaches were cool. The vibe was good. Lots of energy."
Since visiting Illinois, Sanderson has also made stops at Iowa and Virginia. Recruiting will now take a backseat as practices get underway for his high school season.
A combo-guard who can play on or off the ball, Sanderson is a natural scorer. He said he would git nicely into the system at Illinois.
"They like my toughness," he said. "They play fast and use a lot of ball screens which are some of strengths as a player."
Obviously, its very early in the recruiting process for Sanderson, who is just entering his sophomore season in high school.
"I don’t have any favorites so far," he said. "All of them are recruiting me about the same."