The transfer portal is so tough to navigate, but the Illinois football program seems to be doing it well.
This has been an interesting offseason for the Illini. We have had quite a few players transfer out, and some of the positions were not filled to the capacity needed. Bret Bielema has done a great job filling other key positions, though.
It is tough to secure transfer portal commitments for all of the positions of need, but I think Illinois had a great last few weeks with a handful of crucial groups on the roster.
Here are the top five positions Illinois football enhanced in the transfer portal
- Wide Receiver
It is so hard to keep a lot of talent due to the transfer portal, and the Illinois wide receiver corps took a hit.
Justin Bowick, Mario Sanders II, Ashton Hollins, Alex Capka-Jones, and Tysean Griffin all transferred out. That usually is a gut-punch, but Illinois responded nicely.
Hudson Clement and Collin Dixon are back in the fold. They were our second and third-highest-rated wide receivers and played a combined 1,136 snaps for the Illini last season. The emergence of Brayden Trimble is going to be fun. He was just a freshman last season and took a redshirt.
I am ready to ride with those three as our lead dogs next season. Illinois then added some impressive wide receiver talent.
Out of the transfer portal, the Illini are bringing in Alex Perry, Ty Robinson, and Jayshon Platt. Perry is the best out of the bunch, as he had 840 yards and nine touchdowns with FIU last season.
Those three new transfer portal additions give Illinois a deep wide receiver depth chart. Illinois also added three freshmen wide receivers, one being four-star Nasir Rankin. The coaching staff knocked this position out of the park.
- Quarterback
Losing Luke Altmyer is never easy. It was always going to be difficult to replace him, as he was a diamond in the rough, and Illinois can’t compete for the top quarterbacks in the country.
In addition to Altmyer aging out, Illinois also lost our backup quarterbacks, Ethan Hampton and Trey Petty, to the transfer portal. That sounds bad, right?
Well, Bielema went out there and did some work. We are bringing in Michael Clatyon as a freshman. Maurice Smith transferred into the program from D2 Chowan, where he threw for 1,088 yards and seven touchdowns.
The big get, and the starter for 2026, is Katin Houser. The East Carolina quarterback transferred to Illinois, and he is a great get for Bielema. Houser threw for 3,300 yards, 19 touchdowns, and six interceptions with the Pirates last season.
Illinois needed a quarterback who could potentially get us to the College Football Playoff, and we landed that with Houser. I like what the program did at quarterback in the transfer portal.
- Offensive Line
Honestly, I was ready to put the offensive line in the didn’t do enough article, but with what the Illini did this transfer portal cycle, I was impressed with the haul.
When it comes to the Illinois offensive line, most of the players aged out. Starters Melvin Priestly, Josh Kreutz, Josh Gesky, and JC Davis all departed the program and will be in the NFL.
Illinois didn’t have a lot of impactful offensive line transfers out, but we needed to essentially replace the entire starting offensive line.
Bielema went out and brought in a ton of talent. Illinois’ starting center for 2026 should be Wisconsin transfer Jake Renfro. We went out and snagged the No. 2 junior college offensive tackle in TJ Taylor. Illinois also pulled in the No. 1 JUCO offensive guard and No. 12 JUCO offensive tackle in Maika Matelau and Alfred Washington, respectively. Illinois also added Christian Martin out of the transfer portal.
In addition to those massive finds, Illinois has some great freshmen talent coming into the program.
Micah Smith and Kai Pritchard are both four-star recruits. It wouldn’t shock me to see them get early snaps and maybe even some starts. The Illini also added Casey Thomann and Tony Balanganayi from the class of 2026.
I was ready to rip into the offensive line and what we have entering 2026, but Bielema did a great job filling this position group.
- Cornerback
Just a couple of weeks ago, I thought the Illinois football team was in some serious danger of having a terrible defensive backfield. That was until Xavier Scott announced he was returning for one more season.
Scott was going to be an All-American cornerback for the Illini in 2025, but he went down with an injury. He is now back in the fold. Tanner Heckel and Juice Clarke are also back for the Illini. Heckel and Clarke both had over 500 snaps last season.
Illinois had a pretty good offseason when it came to adding talent to the cornerback position. We went into the transfer portal and landed Deuce Fillmore. He logged 498 snaps last season and graded higher than any Illinois cornerback.
I am extremely intrigued by the addition of the No. 1 JUCO cornerback in Jakwon Morris. He is a huge addition to the roster and someone who is likely to start from day one.
Illinois' freshman haul was also impressive. Nick Hankins is the top overall recruit Illinois pulled in from the class of 2026, and he could easily play from day one. I also like Almirian Thomas. He is another quality recruit.
Cornerback could have easily been a position of concern, but I am entering the 2026 campaign with full confidence in this position.
- Special Teams
I know this one sounds weird, but Illinois took a big hit on special teams after the season concluded.
The Illini lost their top kicker, David Olano. He has made some massive kicks since joining the program, and Texas A&M dropped a bag on his lap. In addition to his transfer portal departure, the Illini also lost Keelan Crimmins to aging out.
That left Illinois in a tough spot when it came to special teams. We needed starters at these key positions, and I think Bielema went out and did a good job replacing them.
At kicker, a familiar face is back in the fold. Illinois landed Ethan Moczulski from Washington. Moczulski started at Texas A&M. He then transferred to Illinois in 2024 and hit a 59-yard field goal. Last season, he headed to Washington but didn’t kick. He is now heading back to Champaign.
I think that is the best kicker Illinois probably could have landed, given the circumstances. He is familiar with the program, and Moczulski has already hit a big field goal with us.
In 2026, I expect Lars Rau or Lucas Osada to be our starting punter. Both were on the roster last season, so it would be a natural progression. As far as the kicker goes, I like having Moczulski back in the fold.