Illinois football loses defensive lineman to the transfer portal

The spring transfer portal window is about to open, and the Illinois football team looks to already have a departure.

On April 15, the spring transfer portal window will open for college football. The Illini will be active in this window, but that can be said for good and bad.

Illinois has already lost a player to the transfer portal before it has even officially opened. On Tuesday, Dylan Davis announced on his social media account that he was leaving the Illinois program and entering the transfer portal.

Davis came to Illinois via the FCS route. He began his career at Furman where he excelled on the offensive line. He only played two games as a freshman in 2020. In 2021, Davis was an FCS Freshman All-American. He then transferred to Illinois in 2022.

The career of Davis never got off the ground in Champaign. He played mostly on special teams in the two years he was here, and we moved him over to the defensive line. With two years of eligibility remaining, Davis is now looking for a new home.

Everything is status quo with the Illinois football defensive line after losing Dylan Davis to the transfer portal

You never want to lose a player to the transfer portal, but that is a part of the college game now. You adapt or die. Illinois has done a pretty good job adapting.

Davis will be missed, but this doesn’t affect the defensive line. I imagine transfers Anthony Johnson and Dennis Briggs Jr. are going to be on the end of the defensive line. It might be somewhat of a rotation of who will be on the nose. That is how I see the defensive line in 2024.

Depth seems to be young but solid too. The freshmen Illinois has coming in impress me. I love Demetrius John, Angelo McCullom, and the player who I think could end up being the best out of the bunch, Eddie Tuerk.

Illinois also has some other depth pieces like Alex Bray and Mason Muragin, among others. There is some talent on the defensive line, and that is probably one of the reasons Davis transferred. I wish him nothing but the best. Thankfully, the Illini should be fine on the defensive line.