Illinois Football signs former Professional baseball player William Holmes

Illinois football continues adding intriguing prospects from the transfer portal. This time, they reportedly signed Utah State EDGE rusher William Holmes. Holmes will have two seasons of eligibility after he had a productive season at Utah State. The 6-foot-4 EDGE rusher recorded 45 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and six quarterback hurries. Most importantly, Holmes is an outstanding athlete. In fact, Holmes was a fifth-round pick in the 2018 Major League draft and played baseball as a pitcher. Holmes reportedly had pitches as fast as 95 to 96 miles per hour.

However, he recently made a pivot to organized football, where he joined the Aggies team as a walk-on. At 25 years old, Holmes is one of the most interesting additions to the Illinois football team.

With the Illini losing EDGE rusher Gabe Jacas to the NFL, Holmes will certainly be a candidate for a lot of reps at EDGE rusher for Illinois. The Illini have returners, Joe Barna and Daniel Brown; however, Holmes brings a little more athleticism and size to the room.

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