Illinois Football: Matt Fink gives Illini flexibility at quarterback

Huge news pertaining to the quarterback situation for the Illinois football team was released on Monday.

Jeremy Werner of 247Sports posted on Twitter that USC graduate transfer quarterback Matt Fink has picked Illinois as his landing spot. Werner reported that Fink’s father told this to the Los Angeles Times but it still isn’t confirmed by 247Sports. He also mentions that Fink has two years of eligibility remaining as well.

Coming out of Glendora High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Fink was a 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback. He was rated as a three-star recruit who was the No. 456 player in the class of 2016 and the No. 13 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. He was also the No. 54 player in the state of California as well.

Fink was recruited by a variety of teams which included Notre Dame, California and USC. He ended up picking the Trojans, though. In 2016, Fink enrolled early with USC and was redshirted his freshman season. He was then a backup quarterback in 2017 going 6-of-9 for 43 yards. He also had 82 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as well.

Last season, Fink was again a backup for the Trojans. He was 7-of-9 for 46 yards and a touchdown through the air and carried the ball seven times for 24 yards on the ground. He did miss a lot of time due to broken ribs, though.

I see a lot of articles out there questioning what the Illinois program is doing at quarterback right now. Honestly, I think this was a great addition for the team. Fink is coming in with some experience at quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm and can run the ball. He is what Rod Smith wants in an offense.

With the addition of Fink, that would give the Illini him, Isaiah Williams, Coran Taylor and Matt Robinson as the four possible quarterbacks to start in 2019. I would say Fink is the starter as of right now. I would want to let Williams play the first four games to see what he can do, and then you could redshirt him for his freshman season. That would make Robinson the backup to Fink with Taylor as the third-string option.

I am not sure why people are questioning the Illinois quarterback situation. I think we have a solid group behind center. Adding Fink only gives us more depth and ability. This is a great addition.