Illinois Football: Illini pursuing graduate transfer quarterback option

The Illinois football team finally brought in some solid quarterback depth from the class of 2018.

Coran Taylor and MJ Rivers will come into the Illini program and compete for the starting job day one. But, they don’t have college playing experience and this is a concern for 2018. That is why the Illini are potentially pursuing a graduate transfer option.

Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins has decided to graduate in May and then transfer out for one more year of eligibility. This announcement came from his Twitter account. Since Illinois just hired one of the Wildcat’s offensive coordinators, Rod Smith, it only makes sense for the Illini to be in the running for this kid. According to Doug Bucshon, that is exactly the case. Illinois has already been in contact with Dawkins.

Coming out of Oaks Christian High School in Thousand Oaks, California, Dawkins was a fairly highly rated recruit. He was a three-star dual-threat quarterback who was the No. 546 player in the class of 2014 and the No. 14 dual-threat quarterback in the nation.

Dawkins redshirted his first season with the Wildcats. During his redshirt freshman campaign, he threw for 338 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for two touchdowns that season as well. He was just a reserve during his redshirt freshman campaign.

The starting job was earned by Dawkins during his redshirt sophomore season. He finished that year throwing for 1,348 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 944 yards and 10 touchdowns. This was a pretty good season considering he put up a total of 18 touchdowns on the year.

Last season, Dawkins ended up getting replaced with Khalil Tate five games into the season. This essentially ended his career with the Wildcats and now he is back on the open market.

Okay, the breakdown of what Dawkins brings to the table is simple. He is a runner and a great one at that. He almost rushed for 1,000 yards in the one season he started. That is more than I can say for the Illini. But, if you want a quarterback who can get the ball to a wide receiver on a consistent basis, don’t get your hopes up too much for this kid.

Am I in favor of bringing Dawkins in as the starting quarterback for the Illini in 2018? I wouldn’t see why it would hurt. The more competition the better. He also would know the playbook better than the other quarterbacks considering he played under offensive coordinator Rod Smith during his career.

Next: CB Joseph Thompson receives offer from Illini

Having Dawkins come in would mean a redshirt for one or possibly both of the talented quarterbacks the Illini brought in from the class of 2018. I could see Cam Thomas being the primary backup to Dawkins then. Entering 2019, it would then be a free-for-all at the quarterback position for the Illini.