No. 5 Tony Eason
While the transfer portal is hot right now, there have been big-time transfers throughout the history of the Illinois football program. One of the biggest transfers was Tony Eason.
Originally starting out at American River College in California, Eason bolted the program after two seasons and headed to Illinois. He committed to the Illini and had to sit out the 1980 campaign due to transfer rules.
Eason was finally able to suit up in 1981, and he hit the ground running. His 1981 campaign was special, throwing for 3,360 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions and helping Illinois to a 7-4 record. Remember, this was 1981, and Eason was throwing for over 3,000 yards.
Illinois was on probation for the 1981 season, so we couldn’t play in a bowl game. But Eason came back in 1982 and had another good year. He threw for 3,671 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
The gunslinger got Illinois back to a 7-4 record and fresh off a bowl ban, the Illini entered the Liberty Bowl against Alabama. Despite falling to the Crimson Tide 21-15, Eason’s time at Illinois was successful, amassing a record of 14-9 in two seasons.
Eason had one of the best arms in program history. He set the Illinois single-season passing yards record at 3,671 yards in 1982. He also leads the Illini in pass efficiency for a career at 133.8, passing yards per game for a season at 333.7 YPG, and passing yards per game for a career at 300.4 YPG, among other big numbers.
As far as quarterbacks go, Eason was one of the best to come through the Illinois football program. He was ahead of his time with his passing ability.