Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler – ranked No. 5 in ESPN's Top 100 – has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, his agency ProMondo Sports tells me and @JeremyWoo. Wagler led the 28-9 Fighting Illini to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.
Illinois' Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic are the first pair of freshman teammates to each have a double-double in the same NCAA tournament game since freshmen became fully eligible in 1972-73 🔥
Yet another Keaton Wagler heater, this time going for 28-5-5 in a road win over #5 Nebraska. What we’re seeing from the once unheralded 18-year-old is not normal.
6-foot-6 lead guard orchestrating the #1 offense in college basketball, drilling 44% of his threes with a 3:1 AST/TO ratio.
Top 5 prospect on our Board.
Keaton Wagler continued to show some major flashes in the Fighting Illini’s win tonight over Northwestern:
22 PTS
5 REBS
3 ASTS
8-17 FG
3-7 3PT
3-3 FT
Wagler, a 6-6 guard, has turned himself into a potential lottery pick and is having a breakout freshman season. He came into the game averaging 15.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 3.8 APG while shooting 46.2% from the field and 41.2% from 3. He’s having a fantastic year and is continuing to get more and more comfortable each game.
ESPN has
My boy
Keaton Wagler
At #17
2026 NBA draft
Selfishly, I would love for him to stay another year develop some more strength and become a lottery and All American, but the way he’s playing , he may move into the lottery pick this year