Four-star center/power forward Jeremiah Tilmon, a key recruit in Illinois Basketball’s 2017 recruiting class, announced Wednesday that he’d requested his release from the National Letter of Intent he previously signed with the University of Illinois in November.

A post shared by Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. Lil Boat (@jtilly23) on Apr 5, 2017 at 10:24am PDT

Illini fans were feeling reassured Monday when Tilmon retweeted his original announcement tweet from last July. It seemed likely that Tilmon was, in fact, staying on board. As of this afternoon, however, that appears not to be the case.

As Illinois’ top-ranked high school senior, and the 29th-ranked recruit nationally, Tilmon was the crown jewel for former Illinois coach John Groce and would’ve been a great catch for current head coach Brad Underwood.

Tilmon did state, however, in his post that the Illini would remain an option in his recruitment due to his ongoing relationship with assistant coach Jamal Walker.

In his senior season, Tilmon put up solid numbers, averaging 15.3 points per game, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. His improvement from his sophomore season, when he averaged roughly 10 points and 7 rebounds per game, showed just what kind of potential he possessed as he appeared ready to take the plunge to the Big Ten.

This news is unfortunate for Illini fans, but the recruitment isn’t over yet. Stay with the Champaign Room for updates on Tilmon moving forward, and never ever tweet at recruits.