The transfer portal is still in full force, and the Illinois football team has numerous irons in the fire.
It is fun to see what type of players the Illini have landed and who could still join the program. The crazy part is some of the top programs in the country haven’t even finished the season.
Just think, in a couple of weeks, after teams are eliminated or the season concludes, more players who are second and third level on the top teams are going to hit the transfer portal. That is when Illinois has traditionally feasted.
Just a little over two weeks ago, I posted an article about the top needs for the Illini in the transfer portal. These are the positions I think Illinois needs to address the most, and the results have been mixed thus far.
The biggest issue I have is that Illinois hasn’t addressed the offensive line. The top two positions of need for the Illini were offensive tackle and offensive guard. We lost a ton of talent from these positions, and the talent we lost wasn’t that great in the first place. JC Davis was by far the best offensive lineman departing, and he was a third-team All-Big Ten left tackle.
Zero offensive line transfer portal players have signed on with the Orange and Blue. That worries me greatly, as Luke Altmyer is back in the fold, and he needs protection. Illinois doesn’t just need one offensive lineman either. I would like to see three or four transfer portal offensive linemen before it closes.
I have been impressed with the additions on the defensive side of the ball. My No. 4 and No. 5 positions of need were edge/outside linebacker and defensive line.
Illinois has added Tomiwa Durojaiye from Florida State and Leon Lowery Jr. from Wisconsin to handle the edge/outside linebacker duties. We already have Gabe Jacas who is a sure-fire starter. Jojo Hayden will push both Lowery and Durojaiye for snaps in 2025. This position is taken care of, though.
Curt Neal from Wisconsin was also added to the defensive line. He will help a lot, but Illinois still needs to add another defensive lineman from the transfer portal.
I also believed Illinois needed more wide receiver help. This was the No. 3 position of need. So far, the Illini have landed one pass catcher. Justin Bowick from Ball State committed to the Orange and Blue. He is a nice big 6-foot-4 target who is going to be great for Altmyer.
Illinois needs more wide receiver help, though. We can’t just settle for one pass catcher in the transfer portal. The Illini lost our top two wide receivers, Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, so there needs to be at least one more wide receiver commitment from the transfer portal.
It is a solid transfer portal start for the Illinois football team, now let’s finish strong with some big additions
If I had to give a grade to the job Bret Bielema and the Illinois football coaching staff have done in the transfer portal so far, I would say it would be something like a B.
I can’t go much higher than a B right now. We have taken care of the edge/outside linebacker position. I also like the addition of Ethan Hampton at quarterback. Altmyer needed a backup with experience.
On the negative side, there are positions that still need to be addressed. It is a must that the Illini land multiple offensive linemen in the next month. We can’t ride into the 2025 season with what we have now or we will struggle.
I think Illinois needs to snag at least one more defensive lineman and wide receiver as well. Those two positions are important, and I would like more depth.
It is early but Illinois has navigated the transfer portal well. There is still a lot of work left to do. Bielema has done a great job in the past, so there is no reason to think he isn’t going to finish the transfer portal season on a high note.