The 2021 campaign is closed up, and this tends to be the time that a group of players transfers away from the Illinois football program.
Each team in college football has players who transfer out. These are usually guys who are not starters or have been benched but want to go out and prove themselves somewhere else.
The Illini have traditionally been a heavy transfer program in and out. With Bret Bielema taking over the program in the winter of 2020, it wouldn’t shock me to see quite a few players transfer out and look for new horizons.
Illinois football hasn’t dealt with too many transfers just yet.
Shockingly, since the season ended, only two players have hit the transfer portal from the Illinois football program.
The first player to announce his intentions to transfer is Kendall Smith. He was a solid top 1000 recruiting coming out of Bolingbrook High School in 2017. Smith was one of the first commitments from the previous coaching regime.
Throughout his career with the Illini, Smith was moved around multiple areas of the fields. He started on offense and then moved to defense where he would play both cornerback and safety for the Illini.
Smith is transferring as a graduate student. He is looking to make a mark in the secondary with a new program. This kid stuck with the Illini through thick and thin, so I wish him nothing but the best.
The other Illinois football player to hit the transfer portal is Eddie Smith. This one doesn’t come as a huge surprise, but the stay was short for the former high school standout.
2018 3-star DB Eddie Smith, who signed with Alabama before transferring to Illinois, has re-entered the portal as a grad transfer @IllinoisRivals https://t.co/jEoPT2xWTW
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) November 29, 2021
Smith transferred into the Illinois program from Alabama. He was with the Crimson Tide for three years but didn’t get much playing time. He then spent the 2021 season with the Illini where he saw action in three games and recorded three tackles.
With two years of eligibility remaining, Smith is now looking for a new home. He has a chance to make an impact on a program, and I hope he can find his calling in the game of football.
Hopefully, Illinois doesn’t lose too many more in the offseason. I will be impressed with Bielema and his coaching staff if we can keep the transfers to below seven.