By Mark Pszonak
June is officially flip season, with committed recruits often having a change of heart. That happened on Sunday, to the benefit of Illinois, who managed to flip three-star defensive end Jaylen Stewart from Oklahoma State.
BREAKING: 2026 3⭐️ EDGE Jaylen Stewart has flipped his commitment from Oklahoma State to Illinois! pic.twitter.com/QNsgGn7nxs
— UI Zone (@Recruit2Illini) June 15, 2025
Stewart, 6-foot-3 and 230-pounds, initially committed to the Cowboys on February 20th, but changed his mind after taking an official visit to Illinois over the weekend. Playing his high school football at Pearland (TX), he finished his junior season with 52 tackles and 10 sacks.
Coming off a horrible 2024 season, this is a loss for the Cowboys, who are now down to 12 Class of 2026 commitments. This also leaves only one committed defensive end, Landon Bland of Carthege (MO), in the class, so expect Oklahoma State to turn their attention to a couple of new targets at the position.
For Illinois, Stewart is the 19th Class of 2026 commitment and third defensive end, joining Parker Crim of Lima (OH) and Jacob Alexander of Frankfort (IL). Opposite of Oklahoma State, the Illini enjoyed a very promising 2024 season and are turning that momentum into a successful recruiting class.
