The Illinois Fighting Illini once again faced an unusual amount of roster maneuvering this offseason. Brad Underwood’s transfer class is damn impressive — Terrence Shannon, Dain Dainja, Matthew Mayer — and the incoming freshman class, headlined by Skyy Clark and Ty Rodgers, looks to be an exciting bunch.
But no matter how these players perform, no matter the significance of their roles, many of them aren’t going to be with the program long enough to have the sustainable, paradigm-shifting impact of Kofi Cockburn.
It’s hard to imagine what Illinois basketball would be like today had Kofi not committed to the program in early 2019.