Illinois added a major piece to its 2028 recruiting class on Wednesday night, with quarterback Owen Herrick announcing his commitment to Bret Bielema’s program.
Hayes Fawcett of On3.com reported the news, and Herrick made it official with a post that read: “Illinois family let’s do this!! I’m home! I-L-L 🟠🔵”
Herrick is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback from Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School in Pennsylvania. He enters as a three-star recruit, ranked No. 419 overall in the class of 2028. He’s also listed as the No. 28 quarterback nationally and the No. 14 player in Pennsylvania.
This wasn’t a quiet win for Illinois, either. Herrick drew roughly 10 scholarship offers, with programs such as Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Arkansas among the teams in the mix. Illinois came out on top and landed the first commitment in its 2028 class.
That gives the Illini the No. 23 class in the country right now, even though the cycle is still in its early stages.
The commitment also fits a broader pattern under Bielema. Illinois has relied on transfer quarterbacks during his tenure, starting with Brandon Peters for a season before bringing in Tommy DeVito. Luke Altmyer followed for three seasons, and now Katin Houser is at the helm.
Still, there are signs the position could be trending in a different direction. Carson Boyd stayed with the program for another season after having the chance to transfer elsewhere, and he could be in line to start next season. Michael Clayton II and Dane Eisenmenger are also on the depth chart.
Illinois also landed Sladen Shack from the 2027 class. Though Shack is ranked No. 1157 nationally, he still pulled significant attention from major programs.
With Herrick now in the fold, Illinois has added another homegrown quarterback prospect to the pipeline. That may be the clearest sign yet that Bielema is building more long-term stability at the position.
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Collin Dixon and Katin Houser are among the Illinois pieces expected to help steady things on offense, while Southern Illinois brings its own threats in quarterback DJ Williams and receiver Kyle Thomas. It is the kind of matchup that should give Illinois a chance to reset before league play, but only if the Illini bring the urgency that was missing last week. [Read more 🡒]