CHAMPAIGN – In some ways, college football recruiting will never change.

On early signing day, the college coach steps to the podium and tells everyone about the hook on a late commitment, perhaps a kid from Florida who was seen by a guy who attended the coach’s wedding. He’ll talk about the novelty of the kid from a faraway land, even if it’s somewhere in Europe, and he’ll mention the importance of the home visit, where’s he’s eaten everything from possum to meat loaf.

And, he will remind all those reporters (and happy bloggers) in attendance about how they only recruit “our kind of guys.’’

But, in these strange days, college football is constantly changing.

Thanks to Name, Image and Likeness, and some hard selling from coach Prime, the nation’s top recruit dumped Florida State and picked Jackson State, the HBCU moving up fast under the NFL Hall of Famer. There’s also another signing period when coaches search for the overlooked, underrated prospect, but truly college football has been changed by NIL and the transfer portal.

So when Illinois coach Bret Bielema stepped to the podium to speak about his first true signing class in just over a year on the job, he analyzed the groundwork of where the Illini are headed. By landing a solid even if not spectacular class, Bielema is laying the foundation for a program that needed a talent overhaul.

“Four days short of a year ago, I took the job,’’ Bielema said. “This is truly the start of a new recruiting class moving forward. Because of NCAA rules and the portal world and a lot of other things, it goes far beyond this signing date. We are going to sign the majority of our class with the 22 guys who signed with us today, but we have the opportunity for more in the future.’’

With the transfer portal likely to add a handful more of players by the start of spring semester, Bielema works the recruiting world the entire year. But get used to this type of class, a solid but unspectacular group in what may be a steady climb for Bielema

He did so after rallying during what looked like a bleak season, holding all but one of the early commitments during some tough losses, and Bielema is expected to fill holes on the defensive line and some skill positions, such as quarterback, through the portal.

Otherwise, this will be his routine. Recruit the state, where he landed 10 players, including state Gatorade player of the year Hank Beatty from Rochester (the first Gatorade award winner for the Illini since Reilly O’Toole in 2010). He will keep an eye on the Chicago Catholic League, where the Illini grabbed up five players, and Bielema will continue to work his connections elsewhere, such as south Florida, a place where an old friend told him about linebacker Gabe Jacas.

But while the rich get richer, the Illini were doing well in their own class. With teams in Big Ten East standing as the top five rated Big Ten teams in regards to the class of 2022 on Wednesday evening, the Illini ranked third among the teams in the Big Ten West. Overall, the Illini ranked No. 38 in the country but trailed only Iowa (24) and Purdue (28) among the teams in the west division. Behind the Illini, Minnesota (41), Northwestern (47), Wisconsin (49) and Nebraska (58) were rated the lowest in the league.

Before the Illini are ready for the rest of the world, they must first beat teams in their own neighborhood. Under Bielema, it looks the like the Illini are beginning to do it on the recruiting trail, offering hope it can be done on fall Saturdays, too.

Of course, the Big Ten East – Ohio State (5), Pen State (6), Michigan (8), Michigan State (17), Indiana (20), Rutgers (34) and Maryland (36) -- all rated better than the Illini, but let’s worry about the crossover games and the Big Ten championship game on another day.

Bielema left himself some room for addition through the portal and the late signing period, when a year ago the Illini added Josh McCray, whose power running style reminded everyone how Bielema worked it in Wisconsin, and D.J. Johnson, an outside linebacker from Georgia.

“Last year, we didn’t use all of our scholarships for a reason,’’ Bielema said. “I didn’t want to tap us out. There will be good players for that signing.’’

Nine of the 22 signed by the Illini will enroll early. Get used to his formula. The Illini will recruit the state of Illinois. The Illini will recruit Chicagoland, especially the traditional powers in the Chicago Catholic League. The Illini will work the Bielema’s connections from two decades of coaching to jump on underdogs who haven’t yet been snatched up.

Bielema isn’t a believer in signing multiple quarterbacks to the same class, even though he’s seeking to fill a hole at QB1 despite signing Donovan Leary from Jersey.

He inked players from household names, such as Joliet Catholic, Loyola Academy and Rochester, and he grabbed playmakers at running back and outside linebacker, two of his favorite positions.

“We got two running backs,’’ he said. “I’ve had success in my career in every sized running back known to man. To add Jared Badie and Gabe Jacas at outside linebacker, that’s a positon I feel strong about with the type of defense we play.

“The two most improved players on our defense were Isaiah (Gay) and OC (Owen Carney. We started playing good when those guys started playing well.’’

Concerning his outside linebackers, the Illini “beat SEC competition at the last minute.’’

OK, so this wasn’t a blockbuster recruiting class. Perhaps that’s just down the road. But Bielema was outwardly pleased with the first true recruiting class with the Illini, where he made progress inside the state borders and found players anywhere from south Florida to Denmark.

. It’s a solid start to a long rebuild, particularly when compared to the signing classes in the rest of the Big Ten West that didn’t exactly set the world on fire this recruiting cycle.

From here, it’s time to hit the portal and follow it up with the late signing period. Recruiting never stops, and the Illini climb is just beginning.