Instant impact transfer portal DB picks Illinois as his landing spot

Illinois football built for the future on Wednesday, and we also added some instant impact talent on the defensive side of the ball.

There are multiple positions on the field where the Illini can’t have too much depth. The more quarterbacks, the merrier. Illinois always needs linebackers. And in the defensive secondary, we could always use more bodies on the field.

On Wednesday, Illinois managed to add to the secondary depth. Donovan Turner took to social media to announce he has picked the Illini as his landing spot.

Turner is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound cornerback who was only rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 2044 player in the class of 2022. He didn’t have a ton of scholarship offers, so Turner landed with Long Beach City College in the junior college ranks.

Turner just finished his sophomore season with Long Beach City College, and he played well. As a sophomore, he played nine games and had 15 tackles, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and one tackle for loss.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Illinois is getting a player in Turner who can fit perfectly into the rotation of defensive backs we will have the next couple of years.

Bret Bielema has gotten rid of the Illinois football defensive back depth issues

During the entire Lovie Smith era of Illinois football, we couldn’t sustain an injury. If one player went down at any position, especially in the defensive backfield, the Illini were in serious trouble.

That isn’t the case anymore, though. Bret Bielema has built the Illinois roster well. Just looking at the defensive backs, we can go pretty deep on the depth chart. We have 22 defensive backs on the roster for 2025, and most of those are at cornerback.

Now that Turner is in the mix, Illinois can strengthen the position even more. I don’t expect him to get any starts, as we have talent coming back from 2024. But Turner should be a main player in the second rotation in the secondary. He is going to be an important piece for the 2025 season.