National Signing Day is here, with the early signing period running December 4-6. Mid-year junior college transfers can sign through January 15.
With the elimination of the national letter of intent, all recruits will sign a Big Ten Athletics Scholarship Agreement.
Illinois is set to roll out it's 2025 recruiting class that includes 20 high school prospects and one mid-year junior college transfer.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will hold a press conference to announce the signing class on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 1:00 p.m. CT.
Orange and Blue News breaks down each signee in the class and what they will bring to the field for the Fighting Illini next fall.
The Illini signing class ranks No.34 in the nation and No. 11 in the Big Ten.
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CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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2025 SIGNING CLASS
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A dual-threat quarterback at Central Catholic, Newton put up big yards passing and on the ground his senior season. He went 124-for-184 passing for 1,764 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 900 yards and another 12 TD's. Newton will lead Central Catholic in the 1A FHSAA state semifinals against Cardinal Newman on Friday.
Newton is the brother of former Illinois All-American defensive lineman and Washington Commanders draft pick Jer'Zhan Newton. He committed to Illinois in July the from along list of scholarship offers that included Florida State, Miami, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, NC State, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, USF, Indiana, UCF, and West Virginia.
Illinois will reportedly give Newton a shot to play quarterback, though a position change may be in the cards. The Illini are also bringing in three-star quarterback Carson Boyd. Newton only played offense as a senior, but he has previously lined up at outside linebacker.
Beerman was a big late addition for Illinois at a position of need, flipping his commitment from Purdue last week. He had been committed to the Boilermakers since July, but he reopened his recruitment due to uncertainty surrounding coach Ryan Walters, who was fired on Sunday.
At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Beerman has the size, quickness and toughness to be a linebacker at the Big Ten level. He reads the field well and has great instincts to make impact plays from his linebacker spot. He should be a versatile linebacker in Illinois’ defense. Beerman has proved to be a versatile defender for Lakota West, also excelling when rushing the passer and in coverage along with his pedigree as a run stopper.
He posted 103 tackles, 15 TFL, 2 Sacks, 3 PBU, 1 Int and 1 FF as a senior. Beerman was also named first-team all-conference.
Boyd had a monster senior season at Cardinal Ritter with 4,405 all-purpose yards. He went 228-for-285 passing for 3,243 yards, 27 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He added 1,162 yards rushing and another 9 TD's. The Lions finished 9-2, falling short of a third consecutive state championship.
The Illini landed Boyd back in January over a list of favorites that included Missouri, Cincinnati, Iowa State, and Purdue. Other offers were from Texas A&M, UCF, UNLV, and West Virginia.
Boyd is a duel-threat quarterback with the ability to throw with accuracy on the move and make big plays with both his arm and his feet. The Illini staff loves that he's a winner, going 48-5 over the course of his high school career with two state titles.
Lovett became the fourth member of the Illini class when he committed in March over offers from Purdue, Kansas State, Iowa, Missouri, and others. He then took an official visit set to Illinois in June.
Rivals.com ranks Lovett the No. 65 safety in the nation and the No. 18 prospect in the state of Illinois. A versatile athlete at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Lovett lined up at safety, cornerback, running back, and wide receiver at Eisenhower.
Lovett had a big year on both sides fo the ball for the Cardinals with 62 tackles and 102 carries for 965 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense. He appears to be a good fit for STAR position in the Illinois 3-4 base defense, a hybrid nickel position that lines up in the box.
Trimble was curiously downgraded from a four-star prospect to a three-star in the latest update from Rivals.com. He previously earned his fourth start at the Rivals Camp Series in Indianapolis where he eared wide receiver MVP honors.
This season at Mt Zion, Trimble had 58 catches for 793 yards and 7 touchdowns. He had over 3,000 yards receiving over his four seasons. He also rushed for 335 yards and another five TD's this season. Trimble helped to lead Mt. Zion to a runner up finish in the IHSA Class 4A playoffs.
Illinois landed Trimble in May over a long offer list that includes Auburn, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Northwestern, Texas A&M, and Wisconsin.
In 11 games this season at Ben Davis, White recorded 70 total tackles, 3 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, and 37 QB hurries. He had 7.5 sacks the previous season as a junior.
White committed to Illinois in June following an official visit, choosing the Illini over offers from Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Washington, West Virginia, and others.
White likely projects as a nose tackle at Illinois once he bulks up. He has the frame to play at well over 300 pounds and is a natural two-gap run stuffer with a low center of gravity and good operational strength.
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Illinois flipped Farrell from a previous commitment to North Carolina back in October. He had been committed to the Tar Hells since November 2023, choosing UNC over Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, Louisville, and Syracuse.
Farrell is recovering from a knee injury. He didn't play this season at Hersey after suffering an torn ACL in a 7-on-7 tournament. He had surgery in July and is going through rehab, with spring track season his target for a return to athletics. As a junior in 2023, Farrell recorded 29 receptions for 425 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cox is the younger brother of current Illinois cornerback Torie Cox Jr. Previously committed to South Florida, he flipped his commitment to Illinois in early November after taking an official visit. The No. 49 cornerback in the class of 2025, Cox had been committed to South Florida June.
This season at Miami Northwestern, Cox recorded 29 total tackles and one interceptions. Illinois recruited him as a cornerback, and he may also play the hybrid nickel "Star" position. Despite his slim built, Cox is an aggressive and physical in-the-box defender.
Cox also held offers from Miami, Nebraska, SMU, Syracuse, and others.
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Illinois flipped Forster from his commitment to Rutgers on signing day. Forster had been committed to Rutgers since June after choosing the Scarlet Knights after previously trimming his list to a final five of Rutgers, Illinois, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin. He took an official visit to Illinois weekend of June 7.
Forster lined up at multiple positions this season at St. Joseph's after previously being listed as an all-purpose running back. He rushed for 618 yards and four touchdowns as a senior on 129 attempts, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. As a junior, Forster ran for 313 yards and four touchdowns on 51 carries.
Widely considered one of the top JUCO linebackers in the nation, Kante committed to Illinois following an official visit last week when he added an offer from the Fighting Illini. He chose Illinois over Power 4 offers from Cal and Kansas State.
Originally from the Minneapolis area, Kante played at Division II Northern State University in his home town before transferring to Iowa Central.
This season playing for Iowa Central, Kante had 71 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks. He was second in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference in tackles.
Kante will be a md-year transfer. He should compete for playing time at WILL linebacker in spring ball with returning players Malachi Hood and Kenenna Odeluga.
McDonough became the first member of the Illini's 2025 recruiting class when he committed back in late January.
Illinois landed McDonough over Power 5 offers from Boston College, Colorado, and Purdue. He was getting interest from Iowa, Indiana, Iowa State. He took visits to Illinois, Mizzou, Indiana, Iowa State, Purdue, and Northwestern.
The News Gazette selected McDonough to it's All-State team. He will play guard at Illinois. McDonough is a multiport athlete, suiting up for the wrestling and track teams in high school.
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Illinois landed Rousseau in last January over offers from Duke and Syracuse. Rousseau was also getting interest from Texas A&M, Minnesota, Indiana, and Wisconsin, among others. Rivals.com ranks him the No. 9 prospect in the state of Illinois.
Rousseau has added about 30 pounds over the last couple of years, and he now checks in at 6-foot-6, 305 pounds. He likely projects as a right tackle at the next level. Rousseau was voted All-Conference and was the Wisconsin small school offensive lineman of the year. According to MaxPreps, he had over 80 "knockdowns".
Straughton earned an offer from Illinois with a strong performance at a one-day camp in Champaign in June. He soon followed that up with an official visit, and committed to the Illini late that month. He was one of the first players offered by newly hired defensive backs coach Corey Parker, who is a native of Detroit.
Straughton listed offers from Arizona State, Boston College, Indiana, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Duke, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, USF, and West Virginia. Rivals.com ranks him the No, 18 prospect in the state of Michigan.
A two-way player at Roseville, Straughton played safety and running back this season. He had 46 Tackles, an interceptions, and 8 PBU's. On offense, he registered 147 carries for 1,623 Yards and 25 Touchdowns. He added 12 receptions for 356 Yards and three TD's.
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Gayle flipped his commitment from Cincinnati to Illinois back in June. He was the first prospect recruited to Illinois by newly hired outside linebacker coach Clint Sintim. Gayle also held offers from Boston College, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisville, and others.
With Seth Coleman moving on, and Alec Bryant and Gabe Jacas also possibly departing, Illinois had a need at outside linebacker. Gayle is an athletic edge rusher with good length. He'll need to add some muscle to compete in the Big Ten, but he has a good frame and room for growth.
Wyche led Florida power St. Thomas Aquinas in rushing this season with 738 yards and 11 touchdowns on 87 attempts, averaging 8.5 yards per carry. He rushed for 1,284 yards in his two years of varsity football. He has previously been a return man, with 11 kickoff returns for 351 yards and two touchdowns during his junior season
Wyche committed to Illinois following an official visit in June, choosing Illinois from a final two that included Boston College. He had previously named a top 6 in May that included Illinois, Florida, Minnesota, Boston College, Mizzou, and Ole Miss.
Illinois is getting a versatile, well-rounded back with a natural feel for the running game. He's effective between the tackles, bounding runs to the outside, and catching the ball out of the backfield.
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Scott is the younger brother of current Illini and All-Big Ten defensive back Xavier Scott. He pledged to Illinois in March over an offer from Pittsburgh. Scott played both sides of the ball at Carinal Newman, lining up at running back and defensive back. He could project as a strong safety or nickel at Illinois.
This season as a senior, Scott had 35 tackles, three interceptions, and 10 tackles for loss. Offense, he recorded 306 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. Scott also is a return man who could make a contribution on special teams.
Brooks committed to Illinois in June over Kansas and Kansas State. Other offers included Indiana, Iowa, and Cincinnati. He committed two days after his official visit to Illinois on June 7.
Brooks has played mostly on the edge at Homewood Flossmoor and was somewhat of a tweener. He has now bulked up to to around 290 pounds and will play with his hand on the ground as a 4i or 3-technique defensive lineman at Illinois. He was recruited by Illini defensive line coach Terrance Jamison.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Jones chose Illinois in June over UCF after taking official visits to both schools. He was previously committed to NC State, but he backed out of that pledge days before taking an official visit to Illinois.
Other Offer for Jones included Auburn, FAU, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami-Fla., NC State, USF, and West Virginia. Jones hales from the same school as current Illini freshman cornerback Amar Reynolds.
Jones was injured early in his senior season, so there aren't any stats for 2024. During his junior campaign ones had 19 tackles and two interceptions in six games.
Smith had a big senior season, helping to lead Maroa-Forsyth to a 10-2 record and a run all the way to the IHSA Class 2A state championship game. Smith recorded 51 receptions for 885 yards and 18 touchdowns. On defense, he led the Trojan with 107 total tackles.
Smith flipped to Illinois from a previous verbal commitment to Illinois State. The Illini offered him after he took a gameday visit to watch Illinois defeat Kansas in week 2. Scholarship offers were from Illinois State, Austin Peay, Ball State, Butler, Dartmouth, Eastern Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Western Illinois.
Frechette was a late addition to the Illinois class, committing one day before NSD after backing out of a previous commitment to Florida International. He also held an offer fro Pittsburgh and multiple Group of 5 schools.
Frechette opened his recruitment back up after picking up an offer from the Illini, with head coach Bret Bielema personally heading up the recruitment.
A big-bodied interior lineman with length and athleticism, Frechette is earmarked for offensive guard at Illinois. He was a two-way player at Cardinal Newman, lining up at offensive tackle and defensive tackle.
Illinois flipped Hirdes from a previous commitment to Western Michigan after he took an official visit back in early November. Hirdes held multiple MAC offers, and he was getting interest from Michigan State where he took an official visit before committing to Illinois.
Hirdes plays both sides of the ball at Coopersville, lining up on both the offensive and defensive line. Illinois plans to play him at tackle. Hirdes likes to finish blocks and is a physical player at the point of attack. He will need a couple of years of development, then should be a solid contributor.
