Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Football: 5 grad transfer targets for Bret Bielema and the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini run out of the tunnel before the game against the California Golden Bears at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini run out of the tunnel before the game against the California Golden Bears at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Oct 21, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Isaiah Robertson (17) and offensive lineman Robert Hainsey (72) celebrate after Notre Dame defeated the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Isaiah Robertson (17) and offensive lineman Robert Hainsey (72) celebrate after Notre Dame defeated the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

4. S Isaiah Robertson

I already mentioned a defensive back who could help Illinois in the first slide of this article. The secondary is something I want the new coaching regime to focus on. That is why I am naming a few defensive backs.

Illinois has a few options at safety moving forward, but we need a lot more depth at this position. I believe a good player to take a flier on for 2021 would be Isaiah Robertson.

Robertson was extremely talented coming out of Neuqua Valley High School, also known as the house that Mike Dudek built, in Illinois. The 6-foot-3 safety was rated as a four-star recruit, ranked as the No. 282 player in the class of 2017 and was the No. 24 safety in the nation. He was also the No. 5 player in the state of Illinois.

A lot of teams were after Robertson originally but, like many players from the state of Illinois during the Lovie Smith era, he decided to commit to Notre Dame.

As a freshman, Robertson played in 12 games, most of which were on special teams. He then played in six games in 2018 without recording any numbers. Last season, Robertson sat out the year with a leg injury. Notre Dame then ended up medically disqualifying him. Now Robertson is looking for a new home to finish up his football life.

I was incredibly disappointed when Illinois couldn’t pull in Robertson from the class of 2017. What was disappointment at the time seemed to be a trend in the coming years. But now Illinois might be getting a second chance.

Robertson is from the state of Illinois. He was a talented player coming from the high school ranks. Illinois also needs more defensive back help. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to check this kid out to see if he can help the program next season.

Home/Illinois Football