Illinois Football: Illini targeting grad transfer Brandon Council

The Illinois football coaching staff has built this program through various avenues in the offseason.

We have a nice young core who has stabilized the foundation of this team. There are some veterans who have been here for a few years and have contributed their blood, sweat and tears to the cause. And then we have been able to pull in some graduate transfers who have put us over the top and back into the postseason.

Snagging graduate transfers is an important part of the college game today. Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters was a graduate transfer. Superstar wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe was a graduate transfer. I could go on, but you get the point. We have a nice group of experienced players who just want to play football. Illinois could be adding another big-time piece to the mix as well.

Just a few days ago, the Illini extended a scholarship offer to Brandon Council. Coming out of Jireh Prep, Council was only rated as a two-star offensive tackle. He ended up committing to Akron to play DI football.

Council joined the Zips for the 2016 season. He redshirted year one and then played in 10 games and started nine of them during his redshirt freshman campaign. As a redshirt sophomore in 2018, Council started three games but went down with an injury for the season. Last year, he started every game for Akron with starts at guard, center and both tackle positions.

The Illini offering Council is a great idea. This kid has a ton of experience. But we aren’t the only ones coming after him, though. He is racking up scholarships left and right. Some of the most recent offers include USC and Texas Tech.

Illinois actually has a solid offensive line coming back this season. The only weakness I see is at right guard, but I think Verdis Brown could be slipped into that spot. But we don’t have anything proven behind our regular starters. That is what worries me.

Bringing in someone like Council would help bolster the Illinois offensive line. It will be a tough battle for him, but there is a need for this kid. Hopefully, we can make some waves and continue building this team via the graduate transfer route.