BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
Illinois has secured a standout prospect on the court and the football field, with dual-sport athlete and four-star football prospect Nasir Rankin committing on Wednesday. He made the announcement to 247Sports.
The class of 2026 prospect and Illinois native will remain close to home, and he’s the highest ranked in-state football prospect of the Bret Bielema era. He’s also quite the hooper, averaging 23.2 points, 3.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game his junior season.
“On the basketball side, [Illinois] liked me a lot and offered me even if I didn’t play football,” Rankin told 247Sports. “They told me if I didn’t want to play football, I could go there and just play basketball. They said I’m a tough guard who can play defense, facilitate, and shoot. They said I’ll fit in pretty well. I feel like I’m ready to get to Illinois. If I get there and feel like I can handle it, my first year, I’ll do both sports. I’m taking it day by day, but that’s the plan right now.”
Rankin chose Illinois over Duke, USC, UNC and Nebraska.
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