Illinois Has Finally Become the Royalty It Was Always Meant to Be
Josh Whitman saw the bones. Brad Underwood built the structure. Now the Illini are living up to their potential.
Illinois is going back to the Final Four! Finally! The Pony can gloat. Just wait for tomorrow’s show!
And if you’ve listened to Full Ride at all over the last decade, you already know—I’ve been telling you this was possible long before it happened. I breached the gospel of Illinois before anyone would take me seriously.
Josh Whitman is proof positive of what real leadership can do for an athletic department. Flat out.
Thank you, sir. Seriously.
Because this isn’t just about a Final Four. This is about finally unlocking something that has been sitting there for decades. Coincidence that Illinois sports has taken off ever since Champaign landed a Portillos Hots Dogs and Italian Beef joint? I think not
The Sleeping Giant I Never Stopped Believing In
Rick Neuheisel and I have gone back and forth on Illinois for years. He’s always been a little more skeptical. Always giving me crap. Calling me a homer, blah, blah.
Me? I’ve always seen Illinois the same way I see Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries.
A straight-up princess… walking around thinking she’s the ugly duckling. Full of potential. Not realizing its true inner beauty and potential. It’s like Brad Underwood is the new crowned prince of Genovia.
That’s Illinois.
And as someone who grew up in Chicagoland, I knew exactly what this program had access to. I understood the identity of the state, the culture, the talent base. Chicago alone is a gold mine. Add in the suburbs? It’s one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in America. Chicagoland has it all. Great athletics and academics, mixed with a huge population.
Yet for years—decades, really—Illinois was stuck in mediocrity.
Flashes here and there. A Final Four run in 2005. Some good teams. Some moments.
But never sustained excellence.
And it drove me nuts because the bones were always there.
You ever watch Good Bones on HGTV? That’s Illinois. A house with incredible structure… just buried under years of neglect and bad decisions. So many BAD decisions! It was astounding.
A flagship Big Ten school, in a massive state, with a built-in recruiting pipeline?
That’s not supposed to be average. That school should be ELITE. Period.
Whitman Knew. And He Acted Like It.
The turning point was Josh Whitman.
And here’s the story that still blows me away.
Back in 2017, Brad Underwood had just finished his first season at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis—but Whitman was there watching.
And he saw enough.
Underwood immediately became his guy to replace John Groce.
Now here’s where it gets good.
After that game, Oklahoma State flies back to Stillwater. Underwood’s settling back in, probably thinking about year two. Happy with his year one results but ready to take the Cowboy program further.
Then his agent, Bret Just, calls him after he just gets settled in at home.
“Illinois wants to talk.”
Underwood basically says, “I’m good. I’ve got a great situation here.”
Agent says, “Yeah…. Josh Whitman is sitting in your driveway right now and he’s not leaving until you talk to him.”
Underwood let him in, and by the time Josh left, Brad Underwood had agreed to the Illinois job. Crazy, huh?
Both Underwood and his agent, Bret Just have told me this story. I know it’s true.
That’s not normal.
That’s not standard AD behavior. This is the kind of dude you want on your side.
That’s conviction. That’s a man who knows what he wants and does what it takes to complete the vision.
He convinced Underwood to take the job by offering him one million more than the football coach at the time, Lovie Smith was making. That was the tipping point. Underwood knew Whitman was serious about winning and supporting him.
Whitman wasn’t just making a hire—he was making a statement.
And the biggest part of that statement? He backed it up with money and priority. He made it clear that basketball mattered. That Illinois was going to act like a big-time program again.
That’s how you change culture.
From Investment to Identity
From there, everything aligned.
Facilities improved. Resources followed. Commitment became visible.
Whitman didn’t stop at basketball either—he brought in Bret Bielema to stabilize football, and that program now has a clear identity and direction again.
But Underwood? He’s the one who turned belief into results.
Multiple Big Ten titles. Consistent NCAA Tournament appearances. And now… the breakthrough.
Last Night Was the Payoff
Illinois’ win over Iowa last night wasn’t just another game.
It was a statement.
They controlled tempo, dominated physically, and showed the kind of composure that Final Four teams have. This wasn’t a fluke. This wasn’t a hot night.
This is who they are now.
And what makes it even more impressive? The roster.
The New Illinois Blueprint: Chicago + Europe
Underwood didn’t just recruit differently—he built something modern.
Yes, Illinois still taps into Chicago and Midwest talent. But what has elevated them? Their international pipeline.
They’ve gone hard into Eastern Europe—and it’s paid off.
Skilled bigs. Super smart, high IQ wings. Players who can pass, shoot, and play the game with a rare coheision and thoughtfulness.
These are polished, pro-style players who work beautifully inside this new era of college basketball roster building.
Underwood and his staff identified inefficiencies in recruiting and attacked them. While everyone else fought over the same five-star AAU kids, Illinois expanded the map. To me, that is brilliant. That is how Nick Saban won. By finding ways to be different and being the best at it.
That’s how you build depth.
That’s how you sustain success.
And Then There’s the Next Wave
Freshman Keaton Wagler is a perfect example of where this is going.
He is just a joy to watch. So skilled and fearless.
You can already see it—he fits the identity. He plays with confidence, understands spacing, and doesn’t look overwhelmed by the moment.
That’s not accidental.
That’s development.
That’s culture. That’s Brad Underwood and Josh Whitman.
This Was Always There
That’s the part that makes this so satisfying for me.
Illinois didn’t “come out of nowhere.”
They finally became what they were always supposed to be.
A power program.
A destination job.
A team that can recruit, develop, and win at the highest level.
Josh Whitman saw the bones.
Brad Underwood built the house.
And now?
The rest of college basketball has to deal with it.
It's kinda a stretch to say Underwood's recruiting in Europe has been a reason they are where they are. Mirkovic is the only rotational player that was recruited from Europe. The players with European ties came from the portal.
Y- as always, Pony! Congrats to the Fighting Illini !