Drew PastorekFri, November 28, 2025 at 4:38 AM UTC·1 min readRecruiting season never takes a break, not even for Thanksgiving.
Mere hours after Brad Underwood received a verbal commitment from 2027 in-state wing Quinton Kitt, Bret Bielema secured a major addition to the 2026 football class.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJakwon Morris, a 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back from Northwest Mississippi CC, flipped his commitment from USC to Illinois on Thursday. Morris is the No. 1-ranked JUCO DB in the 2026 class and comes to Champaign with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The need for secondary help has been made abundantly clear after watching Illinois’ defensive struggles this season, and Morris adds length, quickness and speed to their DB room. Morris is likely to compete for a starting corner role next season as the Illini will need to replace outgoing senior Torrie Cox Jr. and may lose Xavier Scott to the NFL.
Morris is the 26th commit for Illinois’ 2026 recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 24 nationally (5th in Big Ten) according to 247Sports.
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Per reports, Morris will officially sign next week and enroll at Illinois in January.
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