As one of the more promising young defensive players for the Illinois Fighting Illini, it stung when sophomore linebacker Antwon "Jojo" Hayden announced he planned to enter the transfer portal.
Then, in a correction on On3's post about his transfer portal announcement, Hayden rubbed salt in the wound left behind by his departure.
On3's Transfer Portal account listed Hayden at 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, sizable for such a young linebacker. Within minutes, he had corrected his physical measurement to 240 pounds.
— Antwon “Jojo” Hayden (@AntwonHayden) December 31, 2025
Just like that, losing a redshirt sophomore hurt a little more as he tacked on nearly 20 pounds to his already impressive build.
Don't get it wrong, Hayden was far from the best defensive player on Illinois's roster this season, but his already blossoming promise built excitement for his future with the program.
During the 2025 season, Hayden earned 26 total tackles, 13 of which were solo take-downs, with a career-high seven tackles in the Fighting Illini's win against the then-No. 21 USC Trojans. He also earned 1.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry.
Hayden isn't the only Illinois linebacker to hit the portal this offseason, joined by former three-star LB Easton Baker, who left the program earlier this year and did not appear during his redshirt sophomore season.
So far, just 10 players have announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal once it officially opens on January 2, 2026, a far cry from other programs that have lost dozens and dozens of athletes from their depth charts.