The calendar has turned to spring and there are several programs across the country that are riding a wave of momentum in recruiting. Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith looks at three such programs in the Big Ten.
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ILLINOIS
Coach Bret Bielema and his program have had a strong offseason recruiting in the 2026 class. The program is coming off a double-digit win season and bowl game win over an SEC foe. So the question was if Illinois would be able to keep it rolling and see the benefits in recruiting.
So far, so good.
The program is sitting at No. 9 in the Rivals Team Recruiting Rankings at the moment due to a surge of verbal commits. The formula seems to be clear. Load up on good regional talent and then pluck some standouts from Florida.
The Illini have a pledge from versatile Ohio four-stars Cam Thomas and Victor Singleton. They’ve gone down to Florida to land four-star quarterback Michael Clayton and three-star wide receiver Kenyon Alston.
USC
It’s not hyperbole to say there might not be a program in the country that fits the “on fire” category more than USC. The Trojans totally revamped their recruiting department and it’s given the team a lot of juice on the recruiting trail. They picked up five commitments for 2026 during the winter months, most notably from still-rising four-star quarterback Jonas Williams. Getting the face of the recruiting class to flip from rival Oregon was a huge deal.
That momentum hasn’t slowed down as spring approaches. USC has picked up four commitments in March as spring football gets underway. The team has several blue-chip prospects slated to visit campus between now and June. With the way things are going the Trojans will push for a top-five recruiting class this cycle.
USC feels ‘back.’ At least on the recruiting trail.
WASHINGTON
The Huskies have been a sneaky surprise the last couple months. They pulled off a major recruiting win, landing four-star Ksani Jiles, a one-time Miami commit who had options all around the country. Keeping three-star defensive back Elijah Burr home was also a nice win for the program.
But another big thing the Huskies have going right now is momentum behind the scenes. Recruits have been buzzing about their visits to check out the program under coach Jedd Fisch. The team is in the thick of several high-profile recruitments including five-star quarterback Brady Smigiel, four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux and four-star defensive end Anthony Jones.
The Huskies have a path to being one of the biggest surprises of the cycle in the conference.
