Football
Former Illinois football recruits who currently play for the University of Michigan
These players may not enter the transfer portal, however, if they do, expect the Illini to go after them.
Bombshell news has come out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, as head coach Sherrone Moore has been fired. Moore was fired for cause as he is being tabbed for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This news also has an effect on the Illinois football program in an indirect way. Bret Bielema and the Illini have heavily recruited a number of players who are currently on the Michigan roster. With Moore fired and a significant amount of negative press at the moment, there may be some attrition set to happen. The following is a list of players that Illinois football recruited in the past until they enrolled at Michigan.
Players with 3 years of eligibility left:
EDGE rusher Nate Marshall (top 100 prospect from Oak Park, IL)
WR I’Marion Stewart (4-star prospect from Chicago, IL)
Players with 2 years of eligibility left
OL Brooks Bahr (3-star prospect from Wilmette, IL)
DB Jyaire Hill (top 300 prospect from Kankakee, IL)
TE Deakon Tonielli (four-star prospect from Oswego, IL)
Player with 1 year of eligibility left
DL Trey Pierce (3-star prospect from Chicago, IL)
Illinois Football is in retool mode with the end of the 2025 season approaching. The Illini lose its star QB Luke Altmyer, in addition to a number of key pieces of both sides of the ball. Though they just signed a historically talented class of 2026, including multiple highly touted JUCO prospects, the transfer portal will be extremely key towards sustained success in Champaign. Though it is not a guarantee that these players from Michigan will enter the portal, it is worth noting what ends up happening with these talented players.
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