Bennett Konkey has always had the dream of becoming an NFL football player.

It’s something that the Geneva standout has always put his focus on. Not even winning a pair of boys track and field state titles could deter him from his path.

And on Tuesday, he pushed himself one step closer of making it closer to the pros.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound rising senior receiver announced his commitment to play football at the University of Illinois on X, picking the Fighting Illini over fellow Big Ten schools such as Iowa, Iowa State and Northwestern, to continue his football career.

“Growing up as an Illinois kid, there’s no better school to go to than the Illinois school,” Konkey said. “All of their coaches are excited to have me and they’re all great coaches. I really didn’t think there’s a better fit for me.”

Konkey becomes the 10th commitment and the first wideout of the Class of 2027 to join Bret Bielema’s program in Urbana-Champaign.

Konkey said that one of the biggest factors in his decision came with the relationship he built with offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and wide receivers coach Justin Stepp.

“Just the recent success that they’ve had with Lunney and Stepp being there was really intriguing,” Konkey said. “They were showing me graphics on how they changed the program and how they’ve contributed to receivers and how all the offensive stats have skyrocketed since they’ve come in, and I just really wanted to be a part of that.”

Konkey will also enter with a connection within the wide receiver room, joining former DeKalb standout Davon Grant, who he was teammates with at Midwest Boom, a 7-on-7 team.

“I know Grant a little bit and we were talking about his life at Illinois,” Konkey said. “He told me he wouldn’t rather go anywhere else and that Illinois is like the place for him. He loves all the coaches and the offensive scheme and the way they run practice, and he said just everything about Illinois is very positive.”

Konkey’s commitment brings an end to what has been a wild recruitment journey. The four-star recruit entered 2026 with zero Division I offers, and was mainly getting invites to spring practices from FCS and Mid-American Conference schools.

“There have definitely been some highs and lows throughout the entire recruiting process,” Konkey said. “But this is definitely the highest it’s been.”

The four-star receiver is coming off a junior season where he wrangled in 49 receptions for 739 yards and nine touchdowns for Geneva, who just missed the playoffs with a 4-5 record.

While the numbers were there for Konkey, he said that a hamstring injury that he suffered during his sophomore track season put a hamper on what he could do while on the field.

“I was hurting last season, so I couldn’t really show everything that I wanted to on film,” Konkey said. “So a lot of coaches who were interested before started to question my speed.”

Things didn’t start to shift until his outdoor track and field season-opener, where he ran a 10.25 in the 100-meter dash, as well as a 21.15 in the 200, which he would later get down to 21.00 by the end of the season. By the end of the season, he had state titles in both events, and was up to 16 total Division I offers.

“Speed translates from track to the football field and vice-versa,” Vikings coach Boone Thorgesen said. “We were waiting for something like this to happen, and we knew it was going to eventually. But the way his recruiting stock exploded so quickly was really cool to be a part of and for him to get the recognition he deserved.”

Konkey becomes the second Vikings wideout in as many years to commit to a Power Four program, with former standout Talyn Taylor heading to Georgia after the 2024 season.

And after being a sophomore behind such high-profile talent, Konkey is ready to officially take on the role with a his commitment added to the name.

“I can’t wait for this upcoming season,” Konkey said. “We’ve got a lot of key returners on the offense and some really high expectations this year. So I’m going to go out there, have as much fun as I can in my senior year, hopefully score a lot of touchdowns and take the DuKane Conference by storm.”