I think it's just coincidence on timing. Purdue had O'Connell go to the NFL. Mordecai at Wisconsin was a 4 star recruit when he enrolled with Oklahoma and two transfers later was still considered a 4 star, but he's been s******* the bed.
Northwestern & Iowa haven't had a good QB in a long time because they're known for only playing defense and can't recruit other skill position players.
Illinois as a program has been on the up & up and honestly their QB is about on par for who they are as a program (decent but not "good" by any stretch).
And if we're honest with ourselves, our program is a dumpster fire so not much surprise for us there, right?