Illinois Football lands Ivy League Defensive Lineman

Yale defensive tackle Clay Patterson verbally commits to Illinois football.

Although the transfer portal does not officially open until tomorrow, December 4th, Illinois football received a verbal commitment from Yale graduate transfer defensive lineman Clay Patterson. Head coach Bret Bielema pursued the Frisco, Texas native aggressively. Bielema knows the defensive line needs retooling. Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Jer’Zhan Newton, All-Big Ten defensive lineman Keith Randolph, and nose tackle Denzel Daxon are all leaving, likely for the greener pastures of the NFL.

Rotational player Bryce Barnes graduated as well. The defensive line is perhaps the position of need heading into next season. Patterson had offers from Colorado, Houston, Oregon State, and South Florida. Patterson was dominant in the Ivy Leagues with 109 tackles and 22.5 sacks.

• Patterson earned a First Team All-Ivy League selection this season and a 76.2 season grade from Pro Football Focus, totaling 36 pressures in 10 games this season.
• Patterson earned Second Team All-Ivy in 2022 after totaling 6.5 sacks.
• Patterson earned a Third-Team All-American selection in 2021 after totaling 44 tackles and 11.5 sacks.

Yale’s Patterson is the first of many signees for Illinois.

What Patterson gives Illinois football is a proven commodity along the defensive line. The Reedy High School product is a versatile defensive lineman who can get to the quarterback. However, Patterson is not the only defensive lineman Bielema and the defensive staff will pursue. Illini is losing so many players in the trenches that it is similar to what happened in the secondary last season.

Finding a lineman in the portal is difficult, so expect the Illini to also comb through the JUCO ranks for defensive linemen.

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