Illinois football set to host much-needed transfer portal defensive back

There are waves of college athletes already hitting the transfer portal, and the Illinois football team is doing everything they can to land the best names possible.

The Illini are prepared to give it everything they have when it comes to bringing in the best talent from other schools. They are trying to build off of their successful high school recruiting class, which ranked No. 22 in the country, as well as their first back-to-back bowl wins since 2010 and 2011.

Bret Bielema and Co. desperately need to rebuild the depth on this team, with the cornerback position being hit the hardest via departures and whatnot. They need to make something happen as we move into the third day of the transfer portal being open, and they are attempting to do just that with a visit from Western Carolina transfer Hasaan Sykes.

Sykes, who has two years of college eligibility left, officially entered the transfer portal on November 23, after one season with Western Carolina. In his lone season with the Catamounts, Sykes recorded an impressive 49 total tackles to go along with five pass deflections and three interceptions.

Sykes' visit to Champaign will be his second since he entered the transfer portal, with Kentucky being the other stop on his list. But according to On3.com, it looks like the experts are predicting that the Tucker, Georgia, product will join the navy and orange.

How big of a transfer portal get would Hasaan Sykes be for the Illinois football defense

The defensive backs for the Illini have taken a bit of a hit so far this offseason. They have seen a multitude of different bodies depart, including the likes of Torrie Cox Jr. and Miles Scott to graduation, as well as Kaleb Patterson and Vernon Woodward II to the transfer portal.

Illinois needs someone to help replace the bodies that they've lost, and what better person to do that with than one of the FCS's most elite corners? If Sykes truly does come to Champaign, he will be able to provide a perfect blend of size and speed that will make him one of the biggest ball-hawks in the Big Ten next season.

I can certainly see this kid starting, or at least grabbing a good amount of snaps if he has a good camp. The former track star has all the makings to be a lockdown corner, but he just needs to be able to make the jump to the FBS.