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Illinois Football: Best transfer portal targets for the Illini 1.0

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 18, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini warm up before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini warm up before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois football
WORCESTER – Holy Cross offensive linemen Eric Schon and Luke Newman, left to right, at practice Wednesday, August 16, 2023. /

2. Luke Newman

  • Position: Offensive Tackle
  • College: Holy Cross Crusaders
  • Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
  • Eligibility Left: 1 Year

I think every Illinois fan can agree that the offensive line needs a lot of work this offseason. It was frustrating seeing the Illini offensive line struggle so much in 2023.

Illinois is in the hunt for one of the best transfer portal offensive linemen. On Monday, Allen Trieu of 247Sports reported that Holy Cross transfer Luke Newman was down to Wake Forest, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Illinois.

This might not sound like a big deal because the Crusaders aren’t a big program, but Newman is a big-time player. He is clearly wanted by numerous power-five programs, and Illinois is in the mix to land the great offensive tackle.

Over the last three years playing with Holly Cross, Newman has developed into an elite offensive lineman. He has made the All-Patriot first team and an All-American team in each of the last three years. That is why he is being eyed by so many programs.

I see Newman coming in and starting for Illinois from day one. He only has one year of eligibility left, so I assume Newman is going to be looking for a starting job. The Illini offensive line struggled greatly in 2023, and we lost both of our starting offensive tackles. There is a wide-open competition for these two jobs, and I think Newman would easily win out.

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