Indiana, Illinois find different paths to success in recruiting

Illinois visits Indiana on Saturday in what has traditionally been a Big Ten snoozer but this year as the Hoosiers and the Illini have built their programs into elite contenders and top-20 teams, it is arguably the best game of the entire college football weekend.

How Indiana and Illinois got here – the first meeting as ranked teams since 1950 – has been on different paths and illustrates just how many avenues a program can take to find success in today’s recruiting landscape.

The Hoosiers are built largely by transfers, many following coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana and keeping intact team continuity.

Indiana’s leading rusher, Kaelan Black, is a JMU transfer. Running back Lee Beebe, who Cignetti announced is out for the season with a knee injury, is a UAB transfer. Roman Hemby came from Maryland. The only non-transfer top running back is Khobie Martin, a Fishers, Ind., native who should step up in Beebe’s absence.

Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza transferred to Cal to take over for Kurtis Rourke, who transferred from Ohio to Indiana and led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff last season.

Four of Indiana’s top receivers other than Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence North’s Omar Cooper are transfers and the defense is loaded with them as well. Leading tackler Louis Moore is from Navarro College, Aiden Fisher from JMU, Kellan Wyatt came from Maryland and sack leader Isaiah Jones is the lone top defensive player that came from the high school ranks out of London, Ohio.

“It’s an unprecedented time,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. “I give (athletic director) Josh (Whitman) a lot of credit. When I got here and we talked about, we knew the portal window was coming, we knew the NIL conversations were coming but just in the last 2-3 years, the way you can transition a roster.

“It’s one thing to retain your players but when you can acquire players from other rosters. It’s not about pay. I get it, that’s part of the equation, but you have to find players that fit your system. Indiana is a case in point. He brought guys with him from JMU but now you’ve seen the addition of some other guys that have come in.

“I would say we compete against Indiana in high school recruiting and portal windows as much as anybody else in the Big Ten, the kind of systems we both run and the players we both look for.”

Top commits from both Big Ten programs will be watching closely.

“Illinois didn’t really recruit me much,” said three-star receiver Kortez Rupert from East St. Louis, Ill. “They were looking for ‘bigger’ receivers but Indiana didn’t hesitate in the recruitment process and I love the coaches and environment. That’s why we’re locked in.”

Illinois commit Jacob Alexander from Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln-Way East said: “Both schools did a great job in the recruiting process but Illinois definitely took over. Illinois was the right spot for me because of the upside of the program and how much they improve each year. Additionally, the scheme of the defense fit me. I loved everything about the program and school.”

Since getting to Indiana, Cignetti had the No. 60 recruiting class in 2024 with one four-star, No. 53 in 2025 with another four-star and now the Hoosiers sit at No. 32 with five four-stars as the playoff run boosted high school recruiting and transfers might not have to be relied on as much.

Illinois has optimized the transfer portal as well but is far more dependent on high school recruiting among its upper-echelon players.

All three leading rushers were high school recruits and Kaden Feagin and Aidan Laughery are in-state prospects from Arthur and Gibson City, respectively. Leading receiver Hank Beatty is out of Rochester, Ill. The three leading tacklers – Malachi Hood, Miles Scott and Matthew Bailey – were all in-state recruits.

Quarterback Luke Altmyer, who came to Illinois from Ole Miss, is one of the only key transfers.

“That’s the one thing about Illinois,” Cignetti said. “They know what it takes. The success they had last year, return a good nucleus of guys, added some new ones. Very much kind of like us. Good core returning that understands what it takes so it ought to be a good matchup.”

Top prospects will be watching closely.

Both Illinois and Indiana recruited four-star defensive lineman Cameron McHaney, originally from Greenwood, Ind., “very hard” but Indiana was the right spot for him especially because of position coach Pat Kuntz.

Three-star OL Samuel Simpson was recruited by both schools but the River Falls, Wisc., standout chose Indiana because he connected a little more with position coach Bob Bostad. Illinois didn’t really recruit three-star linebacker Jacob Savage from Union (Ky.) Ryle and Indiana “checked all the boxes” so he chose the Hoosiers.

On the flip side, Indiana didn’t make a move on three-star WR Davon Grant from DeKalb, Ill., and Champaign “felt like home” so he committed there.

Many top prospects were recruited by one school over the other or vice versa and many heard a ton from both as Indiana and Illinois – no matter what recruiting strategy each used to get here – have a huge matchup Saturday evening in Bloomington.

“They both were recruiting me heavily but IU was the clear frontrunner,” said three-star CB Kasmir Hicks from Indianapolis (Ind.) Decatur Central.

“Indiana was the right spot for me because the culture that they’re creating is unmatched. Coach Cig and the staff have been great to me since Day 1 and will develop me into a great player. Going to be a great game.”

The visitor list is expected to be loaded at Indiana.