Who's next for Bret Bielema and Co. on the recruiting trail?

Jun. 15—Illinois made serious headway in the Class of 2024 this week with a half-dozen commitments. Enough incoming talent to climb out of last place in the Big Ten

recruiting rankings and to 43rd nationally (after being in the 70s). But if there's one truth about recruiting, it's always asking this question: Who's next?

Beat writer Scott Richey takes a look at a dozen potential answers:

Brett Carroll

Offensive lineman, Olathe East (Kan.)Illinois wrestling coach Mike Poeta might have to find out how busy Carroll would be during the winter if the three-star offensive lineman ultimately picks the Illini after his official visit this past weekend. Carroll became Olathe East's first wrestling state champion in February — winning the Class 6A 285-pound weight class — and finished third at the 2023 USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals. Olathe East wasn't so successful on the football field last season, going 2-7, but the 6-4, 285-pound Carroll has multiple Power Five offers, including Minnesota and Oklahoma State.

Jacob Cosby-Mosley

Safety, The Benjamin School (Fla.)Illinois will host a slew of Florida prospects, Cosby-Mosley included, the weekend of June 23-25. That most of them, again including Cosby-Mosley, are defensive backs isn't a surprise. Defensive coordinator Aaron Henry is an Immokalee, Fla., native, and the Illini have obviously developed some elite defensive backs from the Sunshine State. The 6-foot, 175-pound Cosby-Mosley played both quarterback and safety for the 5-5 Buccaneers last season. He threw for 1,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions and also had 38 tackles and one sack.

Darrion Dupree

Running back, Chicago Mt. CarmelGood news for Illinois came when Dupree left Madison, Wis., after his official visit the first weekend in June without committing to Wisconsin. Now, the Illini have to see if they'll get a commitment — or at least can outlast trips to Michigan and Missouri — from the Mt. Carmel star after hosting him this past weekend. Dupree, a four-star recruit by Rivals, was in the midst of a stellar junior season for the Caravan before suffering an ankle injury in Week 9 of the regular season. The 5-10, 190-pound running back missed Mt. Carmel's Class 7A state title run but did rush for 710 yards and 10 touchdowns and catch 23 passes for 340 yards and eight touchdowns in eight-plus games.

Chase Green

Safety, Largo (Fla.)Green landed the "athlete" designation from On3 given his two-way production last season at Largo, but the 6-foot, 185-pounder — who is set for an official visit to Champaign starting June 23 — is being recruited as a safety. For now. Green did it all in 2022 for the 9-3 Packers, who reached the regional finals (essentially the quarterfinals) of the FHSAA Class 3M playoffs. Offensively, he rushed for 333 yards and two touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 302 yards and one touchdown. On the defensive end, Green finished with 68 tackles, four interceptions, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, two tackles for loss and one sack.

Ricky Knight III

Athlete, The Benjamin School (Fla.)Knight got in his official visit to Champaign two weeks ahead of his teammate, Jacob Cosby-Mosley, after making the trip this past weekend. The mostly three-star prospect — Rivals has him as a four-star — has multiple Power Five offers, but Florida State and Miami are the other two current top contenders for the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native. The Seminoles, Hurricanes and Illini are recruiting him as a likely cornerback. Knight finished his junior season with the Buccaneers with 33 tackles.

Karsen Konkel

Tight end, PinckneyvilleKonkel falls into the category of (actually) downstate recruits Illinois almost has to land. Bret Bielema and Co. did so with area standouts Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin, but did lose Johnston City safety Austin Brown to Wisconsin. Konkel, who visited the Illini this past weekend, is only ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and unranked by the other three major sites, but that hasn't stopped him from landing other Power Five offers. The 6-6, 225-pound tight end doesn't exactly play in a pass-heavy offense at Pinckneyville, but his recruitment still could come down to a Big Ten battle with Michigan State and Indiana.

Xavier Lucas

Safety, Dillard (Fla.)Dillard is making the rounds this month. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety started a June filled with official visits at Wisconsin and was on the Illinois campus last weekend. He's got Oregon State up this weekend before hitting Iowa the next. That constitutes the favorites to land the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native and consensus three-star recruit. Lucas, who also runs track at Dillard and had a sub-11 second 100-meter dash time this spring, helped the Panthers go 7-4 last fall and reach the regional semifinals of the FHSAA Class 3M playoffs.

Char'quez Lee

Linebacker, Miami PalmettoWhether Illinois takes another linebacker in the Class of 2024 after getting a commitment from Utah native Easton Baker is the question. The Illini really only ever play two linebackers, and Baker, JoJo Hayden, Dylan Rosiek, Kenenna Odeluga, James Kreutz and Malachi Hood all project to still be around in 2024. But Lee, a three-star recruit, is still scheduled to take an official visit to Champaign on June 23. The 6-1, 200-pound linebacker had 100 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one interception, and one fumble recovery last fall for the 4-6 Lions.

Kevin Levy

Athlete, Cardinal Newman (Fla.)Levy is another Florida "athlete" who will probably end up a defensive back. The consensus three-star recruit has already visited Rutgers and Louisville without committing. Illinois, which hosts Levy in two weeks, has to hope he gets out of this weekend's visit to Florida State without a commitment. The 6-1, 170-pound Levy played cornerback and wide receiver last season for an 11-1 Cardinal Newman team that lost in the regional finals of the FHSAA Class 1M playoffs. He finished his junior year with 19 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns to go with 23 tackles and three pass breakups.

Deylen Platt

Cornerback, Venice (Fla.)Platt is a three-sport athlete at Venice, playing basketball and running track in addition to being one of the Indians' defensive leaders on the football field. The three-star recruit helped Venice go 9-4 last season and reach the championship of the FHSAA Class 4S playoffs before losing to Lakeland in the state championship game. Platt finished his junior season with 38 tackles, eight pass breakups and one interception. The 6-3, 175-pound cornerback is scheduled to visit Illinois on June 23. Venice has other Power Five offers from Mississippi — which he visited last weekend — Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Oregon State and Wisconsin.

Ca'lil Valentine

Running back, Chandler (Ariz.)It's been an expedited recruitment of Valentine for the Illini after a May 17 offer, but running backs coach Thad Ward did make the trip to Arizona to make the pitch in person to the near consensus four-star recruit. Valentine has Illinois in his top eight along with Auburn, Oregon, Utah, Penn State, Michigan State, Oregon State and Miami. He's scheduled for a June 23 visit to Champaign and has a commitment date set for July 8. The 6-foot, 180-pound running back rushed for 1,347 yards and 18 touchdowns while catching 22 passes for 395 yards and four more touchdowns last fall.

Robert Williams

Defensive lineman, Christopher Columbus (Fla.)Illinois has already secured commitments from three Class of 2024 defensive linemen — Angelo McCullom, Demetrius John and (maybe) Eddie Tuerk — but in a post-Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. world, you can never have too many options. Williams is scheduled to be part of the de-facto "Florida weekend" of official visits starting June 23. The 6-3, 260-pound defensive lineman is currently unranked, but he was part of a 14-1 Columbus team with an impressive defense that won the FHSAA Class 4M state championship in 2022.