Illinois Football: Luke Ford announces transfer to Illini

The Illinois football team received a transfer on Friday that will send shockwaves through the college landscape.

Luke Ford announced via Twitter that he is going to be transferring back home to play football for the University of Illinois. This is a huge get for the Illini. They will now be receiving one of the best players from the class of 2018.

Ford was a 6-foot-6, 248-pound tight end coming out of Carterville High School in Carterville, Illinois. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 51 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 3 tight end in the nation. He was also the No. 1 player in the state of Illinois as well.

Throughout Ford’s recruitment, he had Illinois on his top list. He would keep them in the running and took a visit there, but big schools continued to keep calling. Ford would eventually end up with Georgia.

Ford only spent one season with the Bulldogs. He ended up playing one game and had one reception for four yards. This kid has a tremendous amount of talent. This transfer isn’t just about football, though.

Just a few days ago, Ford did some interviews about his recruitment and the potential of him transferring. He entered his name into the transfer portal and let everyone know that he was down to either staying at Georgia or transferring to Illinois. His reason for potentially transferring was because of his ailing grandpa. Ford wants his grandpa to see him play.

Now we all have the answer to what Ford’s decision is going to be. He is coming home to play for the Illini. Honestly, this is a great decision on both the personal front and the football front. The personal front comes before everything. But, on the football front, Ford is going to get the starting tight end job day one. He will have a team that is poised to breakout as well.

Hopefully, Illinois can continue putting pieces into place for a solid Big Ten run in the near future. This team is building and people better recognize.