Why Illinois Has Faded in John Blackwell’s Recruitment – And Why It’s So Surprising

Ever since Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell entered the portal nearly two weeks ago, Illinois has appeared to be the frontrunner in his recruitment. But that seemingly changed on Friday afternoon when Illini wing Andrej Stojakovic announced his return to Champaign for the 2026-27 season.

In the time since, Blackwell has scheduled visits to Duke and Louisville, per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports. Blackwell, a dynamic 6-foot-4 guard, has already taken a visit to UCLA, as well.

So if Champaign isn’t on Blackwell’s travel itinerary, then Illinois may be falling out of the race. That raises a question: Did the Illini rethink their Blackwell pursuit or did he back off from the Illini?

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The organic line of thought: Illini coach Brad Underwood must have expected Stojakovic to return. And even after Illinois added Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks, another relatively ball-dominant player, the chase of Blackwell seemingly continued. It wouldn’t have made sense for the Illini to continue to using recruiting resources on Blackwell if they didn’t have legitimate hope of bringing in Blackwell alongside Stojakovic and Vaaks.

Why John Blackwell picking Duke or Louisville over Illinois wouldn’t make sense

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) drives against High Point Panthers guard Chase Johnston (99) during the second half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

With that in mind – although it’s entirely speculative – Blackwell appears to have distanced himself from Illinois in his recruitment. Again, there are many moving pieces – concerns that only Blackwell and his inner circle know – but from a hoops perspective, it seems thoroughly confusing to cross Illinois off the list and key on Duke and Louisville.

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Starting with the Blue Devils, whom many initially believed had removed themselves from the Blackwell sweepstakes: They are loaded…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-illinois-faded-john-blackwells-211709226.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-19 21:17:00

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