Good Morning, Illini Nation: Who is Christian Collins?

Dec. 19—Christian Collins narrowed his list of potential college basketball landing spots to three teams in early November. Kentucky, USC and UCLA became the favorites to land the 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward out of St. John Bosco (Calif.).

But ... recruiting is fluid. It always has been, and the introduction of name, image and likeness opportunities coupled with direct revenue sharing has only exacerbated the issue. Collins' top three was apparently just a starting point for the last push of his recruitment.

Illinois and Vanderbilt both offered the five-star recruit this week, entering the race to land the top 10 prospect in the Class of 2026.

So who is Christian Collins?

The Los Angeles native debuted as a top 50 prospect in the summer of 2024. He went on to average 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds for St. John Bosco during his junior season before elevating his profile this past spring and summer on Nike's EYBL circuit. Collins put up 12.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and helped lead Team Why Not? to the Peach Jam semifinals.

The door opened for Collins to become the primary option at St. John Bosco when fellow high-profile seniors Brandon McCoy and Tajh Ariza transferred to Sierra Canyon (Calif.) and Link Academy (Mo.), respectively. An opportunity Collins has seized, averaging 25.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists through eight games for the unbeaten Braves.

Illinois signed three players in the Class of 2026 last month, officially bringing four-star guard Lucas Morillo, three-star forward Landon Davis and three-star guard Ethan Brown on board for the 2026-27 season. The Illini are also pursuing Italian center Luigi Suigo and recently had Lithuanian guard Dovydas Buika on campus for a visit. Both are 2026 prospects.