Illinois basketball has added a three-star guard from Kankakee to its 2026 recruiting class.
Lincoln Williams has signed with the Fighting Illini, becoming the sixth incoming freshman for head coach Brad Underwood. Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, had scholarship offers from Arizona State, Virginia Tech, TCU and DePaul.
“Lincoln is an outstanding in-state player who we have recruited for many years,” Underwood said in a statement. “He was a tremendous scorer at a great program, Kankakee High School, and he is a special athlete with the ability to play and guard all the perimeter positions. He has the potential to be an elite defender at the collegiate level, as he continues to mature and develop. Lincoln is excited to represent his state by wearing the Orange and Blue, and we are thrilled to add him to this roster.”
During his senior season, Williams averaged 26 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals before losing to Morton in a sectional final. He was a consensus first-team all-stater and was named the 2026 Class 3A Steve Tappa Illinois Media Player of the Year.
Williams leaves Kankakee as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,853 points. He’ll join fellow incoming Class of 2026 players Ethan Brown, Landon Davis, Lucas Morillo, Zavier Zens and Quentin Coleman.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois basketball picks up commitment from three-star in-state guard
Reporting by Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
