Illinois Football: Chunky Clements signs with Indianapolis Colts

Another former Illinois football player has been signed by an NFL team and is trying to stick on the roster.

On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they are signing former Illini defensive tackle Chunky Clements to a contract. They had to release defensive tackle Johnny Robinson to make this happen, though. But it is now Clements chance to stick with an NFL roster for the upcoming season and into the future.

Clements, who now checks in at 6-foot-3, 301-pounds, was a standout for the Orange and Blue. He came into the Illinois program as a three-star recruit who was the No. 651 player in the class of 2013 and the No. 32 strong-side defensive end in the nation. He was immediately thrown into playing time for the Illini as well.

During his freshman campaign, Clements saw action in 10 games and had four tackles. The following year, he was actually able to get some starts. He played in every game for the Illini and had a total of three starts on the year. He recorded 25 tackles and two sacks.

Clements’ junior campaign, while filled with turmoil due to coaching changes, was pretty solid. He played in every game and had 10 starts for the Illini. In those 10 starts, he finished with 35 tackles and 0.5 sacks on the year.

In the lone year under Lovie Smith, Clements had, arguably, his best season yet. He had to deal with some injuries, but he still managed to make seven starts in the 11 games he played. He ended the season with 35 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Sadly, Clements wasn’t drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he did sign on with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. He was cut from the Vikings but ended up signing on with the Houston Texans practice squad and was elevated to their roster for the second half of the 2017 campaign.

This past season, Clements tried to stick with the Los Angeles Rams but was cut at the end of the preseason. He then signed on with the short-lived Alliance of American Football league. That league probably helped him get on with the Colts, though. So, while it was short-lived, the AAF seems to have been a blessing.

Clements isn’t the only former Illini football player to sign with the Colts. He now joins both Jihad Ward and Carroll Phillips on their roster. Illinois is taking over the city of Indianapolis. There is one thing I know for sure. These three players are going to give you everything they got on the football field.