Illinois had one of its biggest basketball visitors of the cycle in Champaign over the weekend, as five-star 2028 prospect Brady Pettigrew took an official visit and got a full look at what the school has to offer.
The basketball side did its job. The football side, not so much.
Pettigrew was on campus to see both programs, but Illinois’ 24-17 loss to Purdue took some of the shine off the weekend. Instead of a clean showcase in front of a top recruit, Bret Bielema’s team came away with a defeat that made Purdue head coach Leslie Odom’s first Big Ten win. Odom was hired in 2024.
Pettigrew, though, is not being recruited to play football at Illinois. He’s a basketball target, and Brad Underwood’s program is the real reason he was in town. Illinois has plenty to sell there, especially with Pettigrew being an Illinois native and a player who could stay close to home if he chooses the Illini.
That decision is still a long way off, and Illinois is far from alone in the chase. Pettigrew is drawing interest from UNC, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, and Arkansas, with Duke also in the picture despite not having offered yet.
There had also been some chatter that Pettigrew could reclassify to 2027, but nothing has happened on that front so far.
Illinois was Pettigrew’s fourth official visit, following stops at Michigan, Indiana, and Florida. He still has visits lined up elsewhere, including UNC, Kentucky, BYU, Ohio State, and Arkansas.
For now, the Illini can at least take comfort in this much: the recruit they hosted cares a lot more about what happens on the hardwood than what happened on the football field Saturday. And with basketball season about a month away, Illinois will get another chance soon to put its best foot forward.
In Other News...
Illinois Quietly Addressed A Big Offensive Line Need After Rough Weekend
After a rough weekend, Illinois found a little roster relief on the line with a commitment from Mt. San Antonio College offensive lineman Harry Maileoi for the 2027 season. Bret Bielema and his staff have been working to keep the offensive front stocked for both the present and the future, and Maileoi gives the Illini another big body to develop in a room that will need it.
At 6-foot-4 and 350 pounds, Maileoi arrives with the kind of size Illinois can build around, and he had drawn interest from programs such as Kansas State and California before settling on the Illini. For a team trying to stabilize its offensive line pipeline, his pledge matters as much for what it says about the programs recruiting pitch as it does for the depth chart, because Illinois clearly sees him as part of the next wave up front. [Read more 🡒]
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Katin Houser and the passing game never really settled in, which only added to the frustration for a team that came in trying to steady itself. After dropping three of its first five games, Illinois is now heading into a demanding stretch that includes multiple ranked opponents, leaving little margin for error if this season is going to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Loses Promising Freshman Before Her Debut Even Begins
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Instead, Brenjos debut will be delayed by an ACL injury that will keep her out for the entire 2026-27 season. For Illinois, it is a frustrating setback before her college career even begins, and it leaves the staff to rethink how it will cover those minutes while also waiting to see how Brenjo eventually fits once she is healthy enough to return. [Read more 🡒]