Illinois Football: New quarterback transfer brings competition to Illini

The basketball team wasn’t the only program having a good Wednesday, as the Illinois football team secured a transfer commitment.

Coming into the 2021 campaign, the quarterback position wasn’t looking too bad. We have a lot of talent returning in Bret Bielema’s first season as the head coach, so this was one position I was kind of comfortable with. But the more the merrier, as Illinois added transfer Artur Sitkowski to the quarterback room.

In high school, Sitkowski was a highly touted recruit. He was slinging it around for IMG Academy and was rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 395 player in the class of 2018. He was also the No. 18 pro-style quarterback in the country.

Sitkowski originally committed to play for Miami (FL) but would flip his commitment to Rutgers. He would then spend three seasons with the Scarlet Knights where he would struggle greatly to get things going. But a new environment might be what this kid needs, and Illinois can provide that for him.

What does Sitkowski bring to the Illinois football program?

Well, first off, holy quarterback room. Illinois has Brandon Peters and Isaiah Williams both returning, and most thought they would be duking it out for the starting job. Coran Taylor, Matt Robinson and Deuce Spann are behind those two as well. Let’s also not forget that Samari Collier is coming in from the class of 2021 this fall.

With that being said, Sitkowski is still a junior since last season didn’t count against eligibility. This leaves him with two years to play at Illinois. There are a ton of quarterbacks in the room, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see someone transfer out in the coming days or weeks.

Sitkowski is essentially more depth and an insurance policy for the Illinois football team. He has experience, albeit bad experience, but experience nonetheless. Sitkowski is going to have every chance in the world to earn the starting job at Illinois. This will be a three-man race between Williams, Peters and Sitkowski for the No. 1 spot.

Looking at what Sitkowski has done in the past, though, I just don’t see him being the starter, and I would be shocked to see him as the backup. But, as I said earlier, Sitkowski gives Illinois more depth and another arm to compete. That is how you build a good team. Competition and depth.