Bret Bielema has the Illinois football team securing all three phases of the game.
This past season was great for the Illini. We managed to get to 10 wins, and it wasn’t just a one-man show. This great season took the effort of all players, including those on special teams.
Illinois had some big performances from the special teams last season. But thanks to the transfer portal, the Illini lost some of that talent.
Starting punter Hugh Robertson decided to enter the transfer portal. Declan Duley soon followed in his footsteps. When it comes to the kicker position, both Fabrizio Pinton and Ethan Moczulski entered the transfer portal.
That is four special teams players who departed the program. Bielema went to work filling the voids. David Olano returns as Illinois’ kicker. Illinois then landed Purdue’s excellent punter, Keelan Crimmins. He will be starting for the Illini in 2025.
On Sunday, Illinois added another special teams player. Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that Lucas Osada decided to transfer to Illinois.
North Carolina kicker transfer Lucas Osada has signed with Illinois, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @cbssports/@247sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 27, 2025
Ranked as the fifth-best punter prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. Handled kickoffs for UNC as a freshman last year.https://t.co/10Sz3YxlzO pic.twitter.com/gUe8TJ1JFF
Coming out of Woodberry Forest High School in Virginia, Osada was a three-star recruit who was the No. 2324 player in the class of 2024. He was also the No. 5 punter in the country and the No. 50 player coming out of Virginia.
Osada picked North Carolina coming out of high school. After a season where he was mainly used as a kickoff specialist, Osada entered the transfer portal and is now at Illinois.
Illinois football needed to address the special teams in the transfer portal
People are going to see Illinois added a kicker from the transfer portal and just glaze over it. You shouldn’t, though.
This was a big get for the Illini. We only had one punter and one kicker on the roster. That means if one of those two would have gotten hurt, the other would have filled in or we use a walk-on.
Illinois isn’t adding some random special teams players either. Crimmins from Purdue was an All-Big Ten honorable mention last season. He was one of the best punters in the Big Ten. Now, Illinois brings in a player who was the No. 5 punter in the country in 2024.
Bielema isn’t just focusing on one position or unit. He is tackling all three phases of the game. This was a great get for the Orange and Blue.