Football

Illinois Football news: Illini sign top-five punter from the transfer portal

The Illini continue to add depth to their two-deep and continue to give special teams a strong amount of attention.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 3, 2025

Oct 26, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema watches players warm up before a game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

News: Illinois Football head coach was rather vocal on how the team needs some help in the special teams department. Though they seem to have their starters set with David Olano and transfer punter Keelan Crimmins, Bielema seemed to publicly advertise for more depth in the room. That plea has been answered. According to a report by Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, the Fighting Illini have added North Carolina transfer and former top-5 kicker (2024) Lucas Osada from the portal to help boost Robby Discher’s specialists unit.

Osada will enter Champaign with 3 years of eligibility remaining. As a true freshman, he handled kickoff duties for North Carolina. Out of 59 times that he kicked off, 39 of those resulted in a touchback.

North Carolina kicker transfer Lucas Osada has signed with Illinois, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @cbssports/@247sports.

Ranked as the fifth-best punter prospect in the 2024 recruiting class. Handled kickoffs for UNC as a freshman last year.https://t.co/10Sz3YxlzO pic.twitter.com/gUe8TJ1JFF

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 27, 2025

How Osada Fits With Illinois Football

David Olano is a rising junior, while punter Keelan Crimmins will have one year of eligibility. Osada may see some time on the field this year, however, he brings three years of eligibility. Last year, Ethan Moczulski handled a lot of kickoff duties given that he showed he had a stronger leg than Olano, who is much more of a marksman. However, Osada averaged more yards on kickoffs than Moczulski did. Osada can also punt the ball and is likely the heir apparent to Crimmins once he graduates.

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Kirkland Chappell

Kirkland is an expert source for Illinois athletics news. He is the lead Football analyst at Armchair Illini and has been featured in top media publications like Bleacher Report, Yard Barker, Autograph, Newsbreak, CBS Sports and more.