Illinois Football: Illini DE Oluwole Betiku declares for the NFL Draft

While the Illinois basketball team was celebrating, a member of the Illinois football team revealed his departure from the program.

When I say someone is departing the program, that usually means they are transferring. At least recent history would suggest such a notion. That isn’t the case at all, though. This is a departure in the form of declaring for the NFL Draft.

On Saturday afternoon, Illinois defensive end Oluwole Betiku announced on Twitter that he will be declaring for the NFL Draft. He had a chance to come back for one more season, but Betiku decided it was the best time for him to pursue his dreams of playing in the league.

Betiku entered the college ranks as one of the most highly touted players coming from the class of 2016. He was the No. 9 player in the nation and the best weak-side defensive end in his class. He committed to USC but didn’t see the playing time that he should have seen with the Trojans.

After a few years with USC, Betiku decided to become a graduate transfer and take his talents elsewhere. Lovie Smith and the Illinois coaching staff seemed like a good landing spot. Betiku tried to give the Illini a shot, and it clearly paid off.

Betiku dealt with some injuries this season but still managed to start in nine games and play in a total of 10 for the Illini. He was dominant the entire season. He finished with 36 tackles, 9 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. His nine sacks put him No. 7 all-time for Illini single-season sacks.

Some people are going to take this as a bad thing. They are going to think Betiku leaving hurts the program. While it is going to be tough to replace him, this departure looks good for the program. Lovie and the Illini coaching staff can put players into the NFL. That is always a great look.

I wish nothing but the best to Betiku. This kid has all the talent in the world. Hopefully, we can see him dominate on Sundays instead of Saturdays.