Not long ago, Illinois being a recruit's first high-major offer would've raised eyebrows. Today, it raises expectations. Here's why Jayon Connor's offer says as much about Brad Underwood's reputation as it does about the talented 2027 wing.
There may have been a time when Illinois being the first high-major to offer a recruit a scholarship would have been met with skepticism.
Fans would wonder why hasn't Michigan State Offered? Is Wisconsin looking at him? What is it the other Big Ten teams are missing?
Today, the reaction to this happening is quite different. When it was reported over the weekend that Illinois made an offer to 2027 forward Jayon Connor, I did not go to his profile and get immediately underwhelmed by his lack of stars or offers. Instead, the first thought I had was wanting to see the film and spot what it was Brad Underwood was seeing in him that other big-time programs have missed on.
Connor, a 6-foot-7 forward from Lewisville, North Carolina, is the latest talent evaluation that the Illini coaching staff is early on. Illinois made the offer on Saturday, and quickly after offers from Texas A&M and Wake Forest followed.
Connor averaged 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds during his junior season in high school where he carried his Forsyth Country Day School to a 29-3 record and a North Carolina Class 4A state championship. More recently was noticed in the Nike EYBL where he averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals for Team CP.
The Illini's confidence in offering Connor despite no high-major competition shows the confidence the staff has in their own evaluations. Brad Underwood has shown that if he likes a basketball player, he does not need the basketball world around him to confirm it before he goes to pursue him.
The most obvious example is Keaton Wagler.
When Tyler Underwood first watched Wagler play, he had not yet received a high-major offer. After liking what he saw, he spoke to Brad Underwood and they collectively made an offer. By the time Wagler committed, the only other high-major offer he had was the Minnesota Gophers.
Wagler rewarded the coaching staff's faith with having one of the most successful seasons in Illini basketball history. Not only did he win Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but he was also named to the First Team All-Big Ten team as well as becoming a consensus All-American. Wagler was the best player on a team that made it to the Final four before ultimately losing to the UConn Huskies.
Wagler ended up being drafted No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2026 NBA Draft, and he will be a big part of the Clippers' rebuild as they move on from superstar Kawhi Leonard.
More recently, Illinois was the first high-major offer for two members of their 2026 class, forward Ethan Brown and Landon Davis. Both members of their current 2027 class, Quinton Kitt from East Peoria and Mason Martin from Neuqua Valley High School also were players Illinois identified and pursued before others.
Kitt and Martin seem to be very solid evaluations, in the most recent 24/7 rankings both were bumped to becoming 4-star recruits.
Whether Connor ultimately joins them in the 2027 class or not is unknown. What is known is that the Illini coaching staff have earned the benefit of the doubt from fans for the time being.
