Quarterback Michael Clayton II officially committed to Illinois on Sunday via “SteezoDsgn” on X, and he later retweeted the post to make the announcement official. Clayton is the first player in the class of 2026 to commit to Illinois, making this a big addition to the program.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound quarterback is a four-star recruit and is ranked as the 11th-best quarterback in the class, according to Rivals. The Florida native was also pursued by other big-name schools such as Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina. With Clayton attending the Miami Hurricanes camp this summer, the Illinois staff seemingly wanted to deal their chips in before Clayton was offered by Miami.
Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer has brought hope to the Illini, as they haven’t had a quarterback produce at such a high level in years. With Altmyer having a career year, throwing 16 touchdowns in nine games, potential quarterback commits are starting to see promise in the program.
For the class of 2025, Carson Boyd and Jershaun Newton committed to Illinois. Newton is ranked as a four-star athlete, and Boyd is ranked as a three-star dual-threat quarterback. It seems as if Clayton is still the best long-term commit in that room, but it is clear that talent is starting to come through the Illinois quarterback room fast.
