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Good Morning, Illini Nation: Plenty of UI targets in updated 2025 rankings

scott richey, the news-gazette, champaign-urbana, ill.
·4 min read

Jan. 10—Welcome to "Good Morning, Illini Nation," your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He'll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood's team and college basketball at large:

The latest update from On3 for the Class of 2025 dropped Monday. The first thing of note? Illinois continues to go big on the high school recruiting front even with the transfer portal the primary roster construction building block these days. The Illini have offered 38 of On3's latest top 150 recruits in the 2025 class. That's more than a quarter of the top juniors in the state.

A few other items of note:

— Among the Illinois targets in the Class of 2025 ranked in the On3 Top 150 are players from 17 different states and two other countries (three from Canada, one from Germany ... all playing in the U.S.). The Illini have offered four prospects each from Virginia, Florida and North Carolina. Call it the Chester Frazier effect.

— There are also three in-state prospects ranked in the On3 Top 150 in Jeremiah Fears, Aleks Alston and Bryce Heard. Fears has left the state, of course, and is playing in Arizona, but Heard actually returned to Illinois after a season at Montverde Academy (Fla.) and landed at Homewood-Flossmoor. Heard spent his freshman season at Kenwood, where Alston currently plays.

— Three recruiting targets from Ohio is also part of Frazier's seemingly vast recruiting territory.

— Illinois has offered three five-star recruits in the 2025 class. The most notable, if not the highest ranked, is Perry (Ariz.) forward Koa Peat, who is, of course, the son of former Champaign Central football star Todd Peat. Koa has led the Pumas to back-to-back championships and has them at 13-4 so far this season. Three of the losses have come against Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) and California powerhouse Harvard Westlake (twice).

Illinois targets in Class of 2025 (with On3 ranking):

3. Darryn Peterson, 6-5, 175, SG, Huntington Prep (W.Va.)

6. Koa Peat, 6-7, 200, PF, Perry (Ariz.)

8. Nate Ament, 6-8, 170, SF, Highland (Va.)

11. Will Riley, 6-8, 180, SF, The Phelps School (Pa.)

12. Jalen Haralson, 6-7, 205, SG, La Lumiere School (Ind.)

18. Nikolas Bundalo, 6-9, 205, PF, Western Reserve Academy (Ohio)

22. Jamier Jones, 6-6, 210, SF, Oak Ridge (Fla.)

28. Trey McKenney, 6-4, 205, SG, St. Mary's (Mich.)

29. Sadiq "AJ" White, 6-8, 180, PF, Myers Park (N.C.)

30. Kiyan Anthony, 6-5, 185, SG, Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)

34. Efeosa Oliogu, 6-5, 210, SG, Overtime Elite

38. Joshua Lewis, 6-6, 175, SF, Blake (Fla.)

39. Xavion Staton, 7-0, 210, C, Sierra Vista (Nev.)

41. Nikolas Khamenia, 6-7, 180, SF, Harvard Westlake (Calif.)

44. Tyler Jackson, 6-2, 152, CG, Overtime Elite

47. Cam Ward, 6-6, 190, SF, Largo (Md.)

48. Shon Abaev, 6-7, 185, SF, Calvary Christian (Fla.)

49. Jerry Easter II, 6-3, 180, PG, La Lumiere School (Ind.)

50. JJ Mandaquit, 6-0, 170, PG, Utah Prep School (Utah)

51. Jeremiah Fears, 6-3, 175, PG, Compass Prep (Ariz.)

53. Nicholas Randall, 6-8, 225, PF, Vashon (Mo.)

65. Kai Rogers, 6-10, 225, C, Wauwatosa West (Wis.)

67. Chance Mallory, 5-10, 150, PG, St. Anne's-Belfield School (Va.)

69. BJ Davis-Ray, 6-5, 175, SG, Duncanville (Texas)

74. Spencer Ahrens, 6-9, 210, Sunrise Christian (Kan.)

77. Chuck Love Jr., 6-5, 180, SF, La Lumiere School (Ind.)

78. Colt Langdon, 6-7, 205, SF, Millbrook (N.C.)

80. Jackson Keith, 6-5, 175, SG, Southern (N.C.)

86. Eric Reibe, 7-0, 225, C, The Bullis School (Md.)

97. Jalen Reece, 5-10, 170, PG, Oak Ridge (Fla.)

98. Aleks Alston, 6-8, 170, PF, Kenwood

102. Azavier Robinson, 6-1, 180, PG, Lawrence North (Ind.)

104. Bryce Heard, 6-5, 170, SF, Homewood-Flossmoor

108. Jordan Scott, 6-5, 165, SG, South Lakes (Va.)

111. Kaden Magwood, 6-2, 160, SG, Oak Hill Academy (Va.)

112. Mikey Wilkins, 6-8, 210, PF, Christ School (N.C.)

113. Marcus Jackson, 6-7, 210, PF, John Marshall (Va.)

136. Jasir Rencher, 6-5, 195, SF, Archbishop Riordan (Calif.)