Bob Asmussen | All's fair in love and football recruiting

CHAMPAIGN Used to be the word flipped went best with pancakes and fixer-upper real estate.

But during a 16-minute press conference this past Thursday at the Smith Center, Illinois football coach Bret Bielema used the term eight times.

He wasnt talking breakfast foods or houses.

He was referencing recruits.

Bielema signed 21 players last week to join his team in 2025.

Many started out making commitments to other schools before ending up at Illinois.

We actually had nine flips in this class out of 21, Bielema said.

I promise you, Ive never had half before.

In a time of name, image and likeness, the transfer portal and revenue sharing, poaching players off anothers commitment list is considered part of the business.

Dont bother waiting for any of the coaches involved to apologize.

It happens to all of them.

I think this is a sign of the times, Bielema said.

I think we gave up one (flipper) but we got nine back.

Just a lot of diligence.

The original destinations for the flippers wasnt a big deal to the Illinois staff.

If someone fits our mold, if someone hits our recipe of success, Im going to recruit them, Bielema said.

Like all coaches ever, Bielema is happy with the latest additions.

He said many of the incoming players will have a chance to make an impact on the field immediately.

Very excited about the future, Bielema said.

The class includes 11 players on offense and 10 on defense from 11 states.

In the class are 20 high school prospects and one from a junior college, linebacker Ismael Kante of Iowa Central Community College.

I think we will add a few more before classes resume in January, Bielema said.

Either junior college or possible portal guys that will come onto our roster.

The class includes two quarterbacks: Carson Boyd and Jershaun Newton, the younger brother of former standout Illini defensive lineman Johnny Newton.

Boyd, who played at Cardinal Ritter in St.

Louis but calls OFallon home, was the first commitment in the class.

Nine wins this season, and eight back in 2022, helped Illinois land the current class.

Now, its real.

Now, its tangible, Bielema said.

A lot of these guys talked about environments at home games.

I think that was a really, really big deal.

One of the recruits who flipped was linebacker Grant Beerman from West Chester, Ohio.

He originally made a commitment to Purdue, but switched to the Illini on Thanksgiving.

We had never given up on him, Bielema said.

Another was a last-minute one on signing day, with Illinois signing John Forster after the 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back from Montvale, N.J., was previously a Rutgers commit.

Bielema has a history of recruiting siblings of current or former players.

The class includes three brothers of current or former Illinois players: defensive backs Tywan Cox (Torrie) and Xanai Scott (Xavier) and Newton.

The day after the class was announced, Illinois was ranked No.

35 nationally, according to Rivals.com .

That put Illinois 11th in the Big Ten behind No.

1 Oregon, No.

4 Ohio State, No.

7 Michigan, No.

15 Southern California, No.

16 Penn State, No.

18 Nebraska, No.

19 Wisconsin, No.

24 Washington, No.

28 Rutgers and No.

30 Maryland.

The Illini were followed by No.

38 UCLA, No.

43 Indiana, No.

48 Minnesota, No.

51 Michigan State, No.

53 Northwestern, No.

59 Iowa and No.

97 Purdue.

The Boilermakers just fired coach Ryan Walters and got hit hard by defections before hiring Barry Odom on Sunday.

Do the team rankings matter? Id tell you no.

While you would rather have your class ranked first than No.

50, it doesnt guarantee success.

The rankings are a guess and cant forecast how an 18-year-old will develop as a 21-year-old.

Work ethic, coachability and avoiding injuries will play a major role for every recruit.

The last four Illinois classes were ranked No.

45, No.

36, No.

39 and No.

71.

Those guys just went 9-3 and earned a berth in the Citrus Bowl.

Receiver Pat Bryant, running back Josh McCray, linemen Josh Gesky and Josh Kreutz and linebacker Dylan Rosiek were part of the low-rated 2021 class.

Illinois wouldnt have close to nine wins without their contributions.

Bielemas team is getting lifted by underrecruited players.

Current safeties Matthew Bailey, Miles Scott and Mac Resetich had limited interest out of high school and are now keys to a productive defense.

They will all be back in 2025.

The power of signing day is whatever people think of you today is behind you, Bielema said.

now youve just got to build your reputation for whats in front of you..

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