Bama Gets Burned: Top Athlete Shocks Everyone, Picks Illinois Over the Tide
Alabama’s been on a hot streak with recruiting lately — stacking five-star commitments like it’s nothing. But over the weekend, they took a surprise L.
Jacob Eberhart, a top 10 athlete in the country, shocked the recruiting world by choosing… Illinois. Yep, Illinois. Not Bama, not Mizzou, not even Oklahoma or Nebraska — all of which were in the running. He’s headed to Champaign.
Eberhart, a 6’3”, 210-pound beast, is the kind of player who could’ve pushed Alabama’s already loaded 2026 recruiting class even higher. Instead, he’s now one of Bret Bielema’s biggest recruiting wins at Illinois — and probably his most surprising.
So why’d he choose the Illini?
According to Eberhart, it came down to the vibe:
“I connected with every coach, and they are just great people… it just feels like home in Champaign.”
Eberhart is expected to play a hybrid safety/linebacker role — think big hits, tight end coverage, and making life hard for offenses all over the field. Oh, and he can ball out on offense too: 42 catches, 795 yards, and 13 touchdowns last season. The dude’s a weapon.
For Alabama, this one stings, but they’re still in good shape overall. The Tide are sitting pretty at No. 5 in the 2026 recruiting rankings, with recent five-star commits like safety Jireh Edwards (July 5) and wide receiver Cederian Morgan (July 2) adding to the firepower.
Still, losing Eberhart to Illinois? Not exactly what the Crimson Tide had on the bingo card this summer.
