At this point, the five-for-five eligibility for Class of 2022 athletes feels like riding the Tilt-A-Whirl at the state fair, leaving you dazed and confused when you walk off. First, the athletes have a fifth year of eligibility, then they don't. Then NFL players are allowed to come back, but then the conferences start passing rules that ban them from returning.
At this point, it is just a headache to follow, so imagine trying to be a head coach navigating all of it. As Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said, if everyone else is gonna do it, then the Buckeyes have to look into doing the same, and that is what Bret Bielema got himself into.
In the final full week of fall camp, Bielema announced that Illinois did bring back two Class of 2022 athletes through the transfer portal: tight end Peyton Smith and wide receiver Josh Lorick. However, after the ruling reversal, neither was eligible, and Bielema gave an update that Smith is no longer with the program, while Lorick is still surveying his options, staying with the team until he legally can't.
"We had a ruling we could kind of have those guys practice for about five more days, so Josh [Lorick] is still with us, but there are parameters around that too," Bielema told the media.
#Illini HC Bret Bielema with an update on the team's two August roster additions.
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) August 25, 2026
TE Peyton Smith is no longer with the team, and it sounds TBD on WR Josh Lorick.
"Even when we signed those two guys there were bonus guys... We took them with the idea that if they were eligible… pic.twitter.com/OKaY1VTx3C
Big Ten NFL ban and NCAA ruling reversal could end up saving Bret Bielema from risky eligibility choice
Bret Bielema has built something special at Illinois with back-to-back seasons with nine wins or more and is helping the Illini climb the ranks of the Big Ten. He doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize that momentum, and he nearly did with the decision to bring in Smith and Lorick during fall camp.
Bielema went on to say that the fact that Smith and Lorick won't be on the roster now was a little bit of a relief, especially because he was already over his roster limit. If that was the case, was Bielema really going to cut fresh recruits he had just worked to bring in over two guys who would only last the year and really only be depth players on the bench?
If that is the case, Bielema dodged a huge bullet here, because that probably would not have gone over too well in the locker room. The initial reasoning for bringing these guys in made sense: Illinois had just lost some pass-catching depth to injuries, and Bielema wanted depth. This probably wasn't the way to go about finding it, though.
When injuries happen, it is a perfect opportunity for young guys to step up and prove themselves. Injuries have been tough on Illinois in fall camp, especially with the latest hit to Jayshon Platt, whose timetable for return is unknown at this time, but it gives second-year freshman Brayden Trimble the opportunity to step up in a big spot.
With his roster needing to be set by the beginning of next week, Bielema will now have some easier decisions to make without Smith and Lorick with the Illini. Bielema is also able to keep his young guys happy, something he needs to build on Illinois' success as of late.
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