As Illinois worked its offseason recruiting magic and brought in eight new players for the 2024-25 season, Louisville transfer Tre White was not one of the headline acquisitions.
The 6-foot-7 junior wasn't a five-star freshman like Will Riley. He wasn't a much-coveted international standout like likely lottery pick Kasparas Jakucionis or Tomislav Ivisic. He wasn't the local hero returning home like Kylan Boswell. He wasn't even sure to be a starter.
But as No. 13 Illinois (11-3, 3-1 Big Ten) enters Wednesday's Big Ten game against Penn State (12-3, 2-2) in Champaign, Ill., the 6-foot-7 White has been living up to his billing as a top-40 recruit in the Class of 2022.