There is only about a week left of the transfer portal being open, and the Illinois football team has done a good job scouting the market.
While the Illini have taken some hits, 24 outgoing transfer portal players, Bret Bielema has done a good job combating the departures with some incoming talent.
Most of the transfer portal players coming in are flying under the radar. Illinois isn’t competing for the massive transfer portal players because, well, let’s be honest – pulls lining out of pockets – we aren’t the biggest of spenders. That just means the Illini need to win in the margins.
One of the recent additions who I think could be a secret weapon out of the transfer portal is cornerback Deuce Fillmore. The 5-foot-11 cornerback committed to Illinois on Friday, and it isn’t with a ton of fanfare.
Fillmore is only a three-star transfer who has a grade of 84 by 247Sports, and On3 doesn’t even rate him. But when you dive deeper into the numbers, Illinois seems to be getting an upgrade in the secondary.
Deuce Fillmore has experience against the big boys and will help the Illinois football secondary
A theory I have why Fillmore isn’t ranked higher is that he played for Georgia State last season. They had one total win, so no one thinks they have anything good coming out of that program.
Fillmore is the outlier, though. He is a good player. He played 498 snaps in 2025 and was targeted 37 times. He only allowed 22 receptions, which is a 59.5% receiving rate. Among Illinois players who had at least 100 coverage snaps, Fillmore would rank fourth on the team, only behind Juice Clarke, Mac Resetich, and Miles Scott.
Illinois is also getting a player in Fillmore, who played against some good competition. He went up against Ole Miss, a Final 4 program, and Vanderbilt, which had a Heisman Trophy finalist.
In those two games, Fillmore was targeted six times and only gave up four receptions for a total of 27 yards.
Fillmore’s three pass breakups last season would have ranked third on the Illinois roster. He is someone who could help cause more incompletions for the defense, which Illinois struggled with last season.
Players like Torrie Cox Jr., Tanner Heckel, and Kaleb Patterson all played over 130 coverage snaps last season at cornerback, and each player allowed the opposing team to complete at least 69% of the passes against them. That is an unacceptable number.
Illinois landed Fillmore on Friday, and this isn’t getting a lot of attention. When it is all said and done, don’t be surprised if he emerges as a strong player in spring ball and a starter in the fall. Bielema might have a secret weapon with this kid.