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Illinois Football: Illini transfer commit Calvin Hart has “faith in Coach Bielema”

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 5, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of an Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 5, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of an Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema has wasted no time building up the roster.

One of the two additions to the Illini came in the form of a transfer. Coach Bielema received a commitment from Calvin “CJ” Hart.

Coming out of American Heritage High School and residing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Hart was a three-star recruit. He had a national ranking as the No. 1394 player in the class of 2018 and was the No. 99 outside linebacker in the nation.

After a ton of recruiting attention which included offers from the likes of Wisconsin, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, Hart ended up picking North Carolina State as his landing spot.

In year one, Hart took a redshirt after playing in four contests. He spent 2019 as a redshirt freshman where he saw action in 10 games and ended the season with 35 tackles. During the 2020 campaign, Hart played in seven games and accumulated 18 tackles to go along with his two sacks.

Hart is now heading to Champaign to be a part of a rebuilding. Illini Nation is excited, and the talented linebacker shared with the Writing Illini how excited he is to be joining the program.

I have nothing but faith in Coach Bielema and what he wants to do with that program. He likes hard smash-mouth football and that’s what I want to be a part of. No better place for me to have that immediate impact.

What does Hart bring to the Illinois football program?

This was actually a huge transfer commitment for the Illinois football program. The Illini took a huge hit at linebacker this offseason with Milo Eifler and Jake Hansen both departing for the NFL Draft.

Depth has also been a big issue for the Illini even before those two departed the program. For some reason, Illinois hasn’t built depth at linebacker. But Hart should have a comfortable landing spot as a likely starter.

Next. Illini strengthening relationship with Brandin Podziemski. dark

Coach Bielema is building Illinois into the program it always should have been. The excitement is building with the fanbase, current players and prospective talent. This thing could end up being special.

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