Michigan players Illinois football should target if they hit the transfer portal

5. Kody Jones

• Defensive Back
• Junior
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Germantown High School

The final player I want to mention as a potential Illinois football target if they enter the transfer portal is Kody Jones. He is someone who could be a big-time contributor on the Illini roster if he decided to find a new home.

Jones is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound defensive back from Germantown High School in Tennessee. Coming out of the class of 2022, Jones was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 311 player in his recruiting class. He was also the No. 13 athlete in the country and the No. 10 player coming out of Tennessee.

Illinois was right in this recruitment from start to finish too. Jones only took two official visits coming out of high school. The Illini snagged his first official visit. Michigan then came in and secured his commitment after he visited Ann Arbor.

This was a tough loss for Illinois at the time. We could have used someone like Jones in the secondary. He hasn’t played a lot at Michigan. This past season, he saw a total of 23 snaps on defense. For his career, Jones has a total of six tackles in two seasons.

With Jones not playing much, it would make sense for him to find a new home and try to get his career going. Illinois was close to landing the kid in 2022, and if there is a chance the second time around, I think he would be a great option.

Jones is listed as a safety, but Pro Football Focus has him playing mostly in the slot cornerback role. Either way, Illinois could use more defensive back help. Illinois’ safeties and cornerbacks were well below average in 2023, so someone like Jones could come in and start from day one. If he enters the transfer portal, Illinois should pounce.